After Heartbreak
by A.I. Kaede
Summary: It's been a little over a year since Allura died. Keith finally takes time off to go visit Lance on his family farm. (Co author: Lillithrose)
1. Chapter 1: Visit Day One

**Chapter One: Visit Day 1**

It's been a year since Allura died. They recently had their anniversary dinner to honor her sacrifice. He's been so busy until now since his mom is forcing him to take a break. The first thing he decides to do is go check on Lance. He has heard from a few people that he isn't doing as well as he says he is.

Lance had been busy tending to the garden. When Keith came around, he didn't even hear him. Most days, Lance just took his time, headphones in as he weeds and preps everything. It had been nice to see everyone, even if it...sorta...hurt at the same time. Putting on a face had been easy enough though, everyone assumes he would be over things quick. After all, he _use_ to be lover boy Lance. When Keith walks out back to the garden, Lance is lost in the music of his headphones and gently toying with the petals of one of the flowers as though debating whether to snip it.

Keith sees the headphones and slows his approach. "Lance!" He tries calling but gets no response. He doesn't watch to touch Lance, causing him to jump and possibly ruin his hard work so he waits a bit. Once it seems like the best opportunity, he taps the red paladin's shoulder.

Lance doesn't jump, not even a little bit. It's odd in a way, especially when he looks up to see Keith looking down at him. Pulling the headphones from his ears and struggling to not show his surprise, Lance dusts his hands off and smiles to Keith. "Hey Keith, what has you in this area?"

Keith doesn't like the vibe Lance is giving off. "I finally have a day off so I wanted to come check on you." He always found it odd Lance chose to be a farmer. "Anything exciting happened since the last time we talked?"

Lance offers his typical soft smile and shrugs. "Nothing new really happens around here, don't you know?" He laughs playfully before elbowing Keith and snickering. "Day off and you come visit your old rival? Should I at least make horchatas for us?"

Keith playfully rolls his eyes. "You're the one who started the rival thing." If anything... He is visiting one of the very few he hold most dear. "Horchatas would be great, haven't had human food in a while. But nothing new with the kids you talk to?"

Lance nods and sighs. "Yeah yeah I know." He motions for Keith to join him inside and gathers the things to make his drinks. As he does, the forced smile fades but he stays _sounding_ chipper at least. "Oh you know kids. Every day is a new adventure for them. But, all in all it's pretty much the same." Once the drinks are mixed he hands one to Keith then leans against the counter. "Didn't bring Kosmo?"

"No, he's too big to fit in the small ship. I can actually ride on his back now." They don't really use the Lions for short or vacational travels. "I can bring him next time if you really miss him. Or I'm sure he can pop up at any moment." He takes a sip of the drink and hums at how good it is.

"Oh yeah I guess that makes sense huh." Lance smiles a little, remembering the previously dog sized...space...wolf? With a shrug, he looks around and clears his throat. "Well, anything in particular you were interested in or... just here for the view and good food?" He is half teasing, of course, but Lance really hasn't had much for visitors since everything calmed down so he can't help but wonder.

"Like I said, I wanted to check up on you. You and Shiro are the only ones who we don't get to see often." That's a partial lie since he sees Shiro and his new family almost every other weekend. Keith leans closer to Lance unintentionally. "Seriously, how have you been? Never thought you would end up a farmer."

"That's fair enough." He gives a small smile and finishes his drink before hiding his "distant" eyes as the townsfolk put it. Lance cleans his cup then nods and shrugs. "I mean, maybe finding Kaltenecker was when I found my calling. That and I...really kinda missed solid ground, you know?" This was a lie Lance had prepared long ago. He knew it would be asked and he didn't have the heart to tell the real reason. No one would forget how much he cares for that cow so it seems a good enough lie...right? "Did you want to look around?"

"Sure," Keith says. He believes missing ground more than this being his calling. Lance wanted to be a fighter pilot, his calling is more likely being in the coalition. Or at the _very_ least, being some sort of teacher for young kids. At least, in Keith's mind. He doesn't continue to push the subject. Keith takes a few big gulps of the drink to finish it.

Lance doesn't say much as he leads Keith through the building first. Every once in a while, he will point out some random thing and force a smile. It isn't too noticeable at first, but when they walk past the bathroom, Keith can likely spy the lack of a mirror at the sink. "The house is nothing special really. I spend more of the time outside anymore, you know?"

Keith feels lost. Everything feels so off. He feels like there is this huge gap between him and Lance. "Do you ever get a break?" He asks. His eyes can't help but get attracted to the altean marks on Lance's face.

"A break?" Lance looks a bit confused then looks around. "Oh you mean from the farming stuff?" He shrugs and gives a small smile. "I like it. So it doesn't feel like work." Why does that sound like such a...lie almost? As though he is telling himself this more than he is telling Keith. "Why? In need of ol' sharpshooter for something?" He gives a small chuckle and shakes his head, opening his mouth to say more, Lance decides it best to stop.

Keith smiles slightly. "Not necessarily need but... It would be nice having you around more often." Everyone misses Lance, even if they don't actively go out of their way to visit. "Your family help with the farm right? Why not take a day or two off and visit us more often?"

Lance rubs the back of his head and smiles. Not really having a good answer, he just shrugs. "I like it here." He muses at last, not able to make eye contact with Keith as he tells this. "It's...peaceful, you know?" Trying to be more like himself, Lance smirks. "Why don't _you_ days days off and visit _me_ more often huh?"

Keith laughs. He deserves that. "It's been so hectic. Like I said before, they wanted me to be the next emperor. Even though I said no, they still treat me like I have to give them orders all the time." Why doesn't anyone go to Kolivan? He's typically the one with all the answers.

"I can only imagine." Lance gives a soft smile as he looks over to Keith. "I bet you'd be good at it...you know, all things considered." He smirks a bit and shrugs. "Even an emperor needs days off right?" Stretching, Lance looks to the sky then to his feet. "How long were you planning on sticking around?"

"A day or two," Keith answers. "If you don't mind of course." His mom coded the ship to not be able to return to base until three days have passed. "And I wasn't a great leader. You heard my speeches, sounded like they came straight from a cliche action movie."

"what's wrong with cliche action movies? They're some of my favorites." Lance laughs a bit then elbows Keith. "Of course I don't mind. There are spare rooms. Feel free to stay however long. But know that my mom _will_ force you to join us with dinner."

Keith chuckles. "I don't mind." He has only met her a few times but he already knows. She is a very loving mom. "Like I said, haven't eaten human food in a while."

"Good. Then we can have dinner and watch some cheezy action films so you can get more speech inspiration." He offers a muted smile before motioning for Keith to follow him. Lance heads to the garden out back and takes a seat back where he'd been working before. "Unless that sounds too awful to you? I don't really know what you are in to anymore, you know?"

"I'm willing to watch anything actions so long as it isn't the show they made about us." Keith still remembers when Pidge was obsessed with it. None of them sound like that. He takes a seat next to Lance. "Are you still into the same stuff? Videogames and everything action related?"

Lance chuckles a bit. "Yeah none of that. I deal with myself enough on a daily basis." He watches as Keith sits next to him, eyes tiredly lingering just a bit longer than they should. "Video games are still a pass time, of course, but anymore I guess I spend more time out here and teaching the kids little things. I got boring. Nothing compared to you." Starting to pull the little bits of weeds and grass from between the vegetation, Lance peeks at Keith from the corner of his eye. "I'm sure I could still beat you in just about any game you wanted to play though."

Keith is about to argue about his life being so much better. He doesn't really do much other than just hand out supplies. At least, that's most of what he does. The words don't leave his mouth because it turns into a playful scoff. "I doubt that." He leans back on his hands and looks up at the sky. "We have video games up in space too." While having his head still tilted back, he turns it to look at Lance. "Wanna give it a go?"

Lance smirks back at Keith and nods. "Obviously. Gotta keep the rivalry fresh right?" He swallows hard before picking up his weeding tools and putting them away. Once that's done, he leads Keith inside and to the far end of the house were his room is. Compared to the fanciful room he kept on the castle, this feels somehow different. It isn't something easily placed but it certainly has a different feel. "Well, what do you want to play then?"

Not that Keith has ever seen Lance's room before, on the castle or on the Atlas. He does however notice the lack of a mirror and the picture of Lance's first date with Allura still framed on the nightstand. "Let's play this one. It's really popular on the base," he says as he picks up one very similar to mortal kombat.

Lance plops down into his bean bag chair then pushes the other toward Keith. "One of my favorites. Good to know it's popular everywhere." He laughs a bit then picks up the controllers and hands one to Keith with a lopsided smile. "You'll be surprised to know, I love the gunner."

"Of course that would be your character," Keith playfully rolls his eyes with a soft smile before putting in the game. He takes the controller and plops down on the bean bag chair. "You can probably guess which is mine."

"Hmmmm," Lance playfully touches his lower lip. "The brooding, quiet one?" He chuckles then starts up the game. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Quietly, he looks Keith over and smiles again. "The furry-looking one obviously."

Keith clicks his tongue and gently back hands Lance's arm. "Jerk," he laughs and picks the sword wielder. "From what I've heard, you're the actual furry here."

Lance just squints his eyes at Keith and shrugs. "I take what I can get I guess." If that isn't the truest thing Lance has said in ages, he doesn't know what is. He picks his character then selects a level and relaxes back into his seat. Once the two of them are well off in the game, Lance peeks over at Keith again. "So, still too busy being a badass to have a fellow Kogane, if you catch my drift."

Keith's eyebrows scrunch together. "I don't catch your drift," he says while glancing at Lance for a second. "My mom is a Kogane." He hasn't told anyone yet, but he thinks her and Kolivan are getting pretty close. Though it could just be from being the only other two original marmora survivors.

Lance facepalms and sighs. "I meant like...do you have a...significant other or whatever now." He scratches his arm and shrugs. "I know a lot of the others have someone nowadays so I was curious if there would be..someone else I'd be meeting sooner or later." Trying to be silly (and likely failing), Lance smirks and runs a hand through his hair. "Gotta clean up if that's the case."

Keith chuckles. This is probably the most he has laughed in awhile. "No. I haven't met anyone out there that has caught my attention." Though, others seem to try to surround him and he doesn't like it. It's always his mom or someone else in the marmora that points out when someone is being flirty since he is just so dense. "Has anyone caught your eye?" He asks softly.

Lance...almost looks sad when Keith says no but somehow manages to look just as pleased. "You know, I'm not surprised really." He waves a hand. "Not that I mean any offense by it or anything. You've just always had...I dunno, mission tunnel vision?" He shrugs and had _almost_ pulled off looking like himself until Keith asked the same of him. It's easy to say the next line, since it's true...but it still hurts. "Not since Allura. I...haven't really been looking." His voice is quiet, almost broken but he does well enough to hide it. "Most of the time I'm too busy anyway, if I'm honest." Hoping this alleviates some of the suspicion, Lance smiles again.

Keith hums. It's not healthy to be stuck on someone. He knows far too well. "Honestly, I haven't been looking either," he says, bringing the topic back onto him. "I need to get to know someone before I develop a crush on them."

"Fitting for you." Lance admits with a small smile. "Sometimes it's easier not to." He agrees and sinks back in his seat to focus on the game a bit more. "That's called demi right? Is that a thing? I don't know." He taps his head, thinking about what Keith said and shrugs. "Ah what does that matter? You're gonna go back to kicking ass in a couple of days so what's it matter what that's called, right?"

"I'm not going to be kicking ass. All I do is hand out food and supplies." Who is there left to fight anyways? "I think Pidge called it that, since they are the same way." Keith huffs and sinks further into the bean bags when he losses the first round. He had taken another glance at Lance which resulted in him being shot in the head.

"Yeah, but you are out there, helping everyone right? That's still kicking ass in my book." When Lance looks over to see pouty Keith, he can't help but laugh a bit before turning and playfully shoving him. "Oh stop that. You kick ass and you know it." He chuckles ones more. "Hell, even I admit it anymore ok?"

Keith deepens his pout and let's the shove push him to the edge of the chair. "But I'm not actually kicking anyone's butt," he tries to say it in a childish way. Due to being on the edge of a bean bag chair, he slowly sinks down to the floor.

"Oh my god Keith." Lance rolls his eyes and laughs. "Need someone to fight again? Is that why you came to see me?" He shoves him again and laughs a bit. When he shoves him again, Lance actually lights up a bit. "Just needed to kick someone's ass again? Or at least _try_."

Keith dramatically rolls onto his stomach from the last shove. He has learned how to be like this with the many kids who gather around him and the female half Galrans in his squad. "I will kick your ass eventually. I'm just getting warmed up." He rolls back onto the bean bag and smiles widely at Lance.

Something about seeing Keith act like this makes Lance...floaty. He actually _smiles_ at it and gives a small laugh. Especially when Keith smiles at him in response. Man, he has missed that smile. "I'm sure it would be easy for you." He puts down the remote and takes a playful fighting stance.

Keith's eyes widen a little and his heart flutters. He puts down the control and mimics Lance. "I am the better close range fighter after all," he smirks. To go along with the theme of video games, he bounces a bit.

Lance shrugs. "Yeah but apparently handing out food isn't very difficult you know? And I do hard labor practically every day." He starts to bounce to match Keith and throws a weak punch, landing it on Keith's arm.

Keith grunts and fakes a flinch. "Then we'll see who is truly stronger now." He goes back to his original pose then gives a weak punch to Lance's shoulder. "hyah," he grunt.

Lance smirks and rolls his eyes. "You kidding?" He jumps a bit out of the way and moves to fight again. "You can't deny that you still work out every day." Dodging, Keith's next swing, Lance smiles. "You're still as built as you were when you first came back from your space vacation with your mom."

Keith blushes slightly. "So? We didn't say anything about training." Is his clothing that tight to where it's noticeable? He just didn't want to lose all that he gained just in case he did need to fight again. "Are we gonna keep play fighting or somewhat actual spar?"

"Up to you." He charges forward and tries to tackle Keith to no avail. "But I never _asked_ about training." Speaking as the two of them spar, Lance seems to come more to life. "I knew better than to assume _Keith_ would stop training."

Keith can't help but laugh. That's probably what everyone thinks too. The smile stays as he pretty much wrestled with Lance to see who can knock down who first. "For a farm boy, you're surprisingly strong," he teases.

"Farm kids _are_ strong. Thank you very much." Lance pretends to be offended as he wrestles with Keith before ducking a bit and trying to use the lower pose to his advantage. "I'm not sure what was so funny about that. You know it's true. When did you _ever_ stop training?" He can't help it, Lance gets distracted by the brilliant smile on Keith's face and because of it, he loses.

Keith laughs as he falls on top of Lance. Luckily he doesn't crush him due to catching himself with his hand and elbow. He wasn't expecting to win so suddenly. "You'd be surprised how often my mom made me take a break on that whale planet."

Lance shoves Keith off of him with a shake of his head. "Oh yeah? She got tired of hearing it huh?" He sits up and sighs. "My mom has me take breaks from everything here so I can only imagine." Plopping back down into the bean bag chair, Lance smiles over at Keith before looking suddenly mildly horrified. "Oh man! Did you need food? I didn't even think to ask if you wanted food."

Keith stays on the floor and laughs. "No, I'm alright. I ate before leaving base. Mom even made me bring snacks for the ride. Do you want to try any?" He pulls out a few Galran snacks from his pocket. "Not sure if they taste any different to someone without Galran blood but... I like them."

"Sure. I miss that crazy stuff...sometimes. If I never have food goo again it'll be too soon." Scooting closer to Keith, Lance offers a smile. "Oh yeah, and any requests for dinner? It's suppose to be Vern's day but she will want me to cook if 'i have company'." He snatches up one of the snacks and takes a bite. "Not bad."

"Your cooking? I think I'll pass," Keith jokes, but then instantly takes it back. "I'm kidding. I would love to try whatever you make. I don't have a request." He smiles at Lance and rolls onto his stomach. "Anything _you_ want me to try? We can do like a food exchange."

Before Keith takes the joke back, Lance pouts a bit but then plays into it when Keith tries to take it back. He shoves the rest of the snack in his mouth and crosses his arms over his chest. "Oh totally fine. I don't have to cook for you." He huffs then shakes his head. "I dunno. Ever had ropa vieja? If not we will go traditional."

For a split second, his heart painfully clenches thinking he actually offended Lance. Keith smiles softly when it's not the case. "I've never even heard of that before." He looks through the snacks he has left in his hands. Maybe he'll let the whole family try some. There is still a bunch left in the ship.

"Then good. Dinner is decided." Lance looked back to Keith then sighs and relaxes back into his seat. "It's weird but, I kinda miss bickering with you like we use to back in the day." He smiles a bit more and gives a...laugh(?) That is so small it's hard to decipher.

"It's so weird not having you around." He can't say his right hand man is around. "Should we make it a plan to fight more often?" Keith laughs. He finally sits up and moves on to the edge of Lance's bean bag chair. "I could try coming around more often."

Lance can't help but grow soft at Keith's words. He (almost literally) glows just thinking about it. "It would be nice to have company every now and again." He does his best to hide his utter excitement at the mere thought. "And it would guarantee good food for you too." With a playful elbow to Keith's side, Lance smiles. "If you can manage, you should visit around the holidays. Mom makes the best food then. Plus, holidays with a houseful of kids? Sounds like a riot right?" He is half joking.

Keith chuckles. "I don't know if I can handle a houseful of kids. Especially if they are all related to you. I'm going to be called Mullet the entire time." He's still smiling despite his words. "Or they'll would use Kosmo like a carnival ride if no one stops them." Kids have before on other plants.

"More likely, they would ask you to tell them about _ALLLLL_ your adventures. And I mean, all of them." Lance gets a bit soft watching Keith smile. It's still such a change from before, even after all this time. "But absolutely they would be trying to use Cosmo as a makeshift horse." He laughs a bit. "To be fair, he did grow up to be one big pup. Stands taller than you right?"

Keith's eyes shine. It's very obvious he loves his space wolf. "By an inch, yeah. I never knew he would grow so big! If you had seen him when we first met him, he was pretty small." Talking about his companion makes him miss them. "I don't think Kosmo would actually mind, and maybe the kids can finally teach them how to play fetch."

Lance actually laughs at the end of Keith talking. Between watching his friend light up and remembering Keith trying to get Kosmo to fetch, he cant hold it back. "I think he does it just to annoy you. Kosmo is too smart not to get it." Lance smiles and wipes his eyes as laughing had made them water. "Did you want to help me cook? I know dinner isn't for a while, but I like picking things fresh and starting early."

Keith smiles more when Lance laughs. It's so nice to hear and see. "Sure, you'll just have to give me step by step instructions." He knows how to cook galran meals which is very different from Earth cooking. He stands up and stretches. One of the stretches is reaching down to place his palm on the floor. "So what do we need first?"

"Helping usually entails telling and or showing what to do, yes." Lance rolls his eyes and slips flip flops on, strategically avoiding looking at Keith as he stretches. "But we need tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. The black beans we will use from a can because I am lazy as far aa that is concerned."

Keith let's out a chuckle as he follows Lance. "Your farm is pretty big, huh," he says as they step outside. He could see how big it was as he landed but standing in it is a whole different story.

Lance stands proudly and nods. "It's a good size, yeah." He nods then shrugs. "I mean, not the biggest around and I regularly get teased for so much of it being flowers but," for the slightest second, Lance looks sad and distant. "But I think it's perfect like this."

"If this is how you want it, then it's fine," Keith says. It kinda hurts knowing how much Lance still thinks of Allura but he gets it. "The flowers are very pretty." There is a similar one on his planet. They look the same but just purple and black.

"They're peaceful. I appreciate that." Lance shrugs and heads over to where the peppers grow. There are a pretty wide variety of them. Not sure whether Keith is down for spice, Lance grabs a couple of the more tame ones. While there, Lance seems to get lost in his own head for a minute then just shrugs at whatever he was thinking about. Trying to be himself, Lance puts a hand on his hip and smirks at Keith. "If you like them, take some with you." Being playfully dramatic, Lance touches the back of his hand to his forehead. "That way you can think of me even when you are light years away." He laughs quietly under his breath.

Keith doesn't know which he should be picking so he just holds the basket. "Then I guess you'll have to remind me to take some before I leave. The base could use more color other than greys and purple." He gently brushes his finger across the petal of the closest flower. Would be cute to have them next to the ones already there.

Lance's marks glow a bit. He had expected Keith to react...different? And somehow it makes him feel far more flustered than it should. "Y-yeah. I'll grab you a handful. Maybe even give you some in a pot so they stay alive for a bit." He grabs a couple of tomatoes as he speaks. "Yeah galra always had a thing for those colors don't they?" He chuckles.

"Actually what's surprising, is they they see far more shades of grey and blue than humans," Keith says. He has no idea why but his mom mentioned it during one of their longer travels. He gets down on one knee and helps picking the tomatoes.

"Really?" Lance looks over to Keith and touches his chin. "Maybe that's why they dress how they do then, huh?" He shrugs and glances over Keith longer than he should before quickly standing and stretching. "Time for potatoes then we gotta prep dinner."

Keith stands up too. He does his best not to watch Lance stretch for too long. "Is your entire family going to be here for dinner?" He asks. Lance's family is pretty big but there has been so sign of anyone yet.

"Most will be at least." He admits then nods. "They all go all over town but dinner time we all get back together. Think you'll be alright with that?" Lance smiles and nudges him playfully. "It get pretty loud so you'll have to use your big, loud voice."

Keith rolls his eyes and nudges back. "I'll most likely just be answering whatever questions they throw at me than actually conversing." He can't remember how many little kids were there. Three? Four?

"Hey i just wanted to warn you." Lance holds his hands up and shrugs then smirks. "Then any plans for after dinner? I have boring night habits sooo..." He trails off, not wanting to say he regularly just sits in the field of flowers and watches the sky.

"We could play more video games," he suggests but knowing kids, they'll probably want to play too. "Or watch some movies." It's really odd trying to think of what he would do to pass the time before Voltron.

Lance nods and smiles. "I vote for a movie." He looks at his hands and groans. " _After_ a shower. I hadn't exactly been expecting to see anyone today." For a minute, he stares up at the sky with a soft smile. "Alright. Potatoes!" He darts that way and starts digging them up and tossing them at Keith to put in the basket.

Keith's heart hurts for a second. Even though he told himself to give up... The flying potato brings him back to this reality just in time to catch it. "You're lucky I have cat like reflexes," he mumbles, more to himself than to Lance.

"It's cuz you're part galra." Lance teases then looks back to Keith. The marks on his cheeks flair a bit again when he faces Keith. "Alright. Not we get to do what is surely your favorite part...cut all of this up." He offers an oddly soft smile before playfully putting an arm over Keith's shoulders. He pouts when he does. "Man that's not as fun now that you are the taller of us."

Keith smiles back. This will definitely be his favorite part. "I'm only taller by an inch!" Sure he was pretty short before but being taller doesn't make him feel any different. It's actually a little harder to hide and sneak around like he used to.

"Yeah but now my armrest isn't a perfect height!" Lance complains then pulls his stuff to the sink and starts to clean it. "You grew almost as much as your hair did." Lance teases ad he pulls his arm away and shrugs. "Knives are in the third drawer over there, grab two."

Keith rolls his eyes. He likes his hair long, so what? At least he didn't decide to cut it super short like Matt. "Does it matter what type?" He asks as he opens the drawer. He knows what knives are used for what but Lance doesn't know he knows.

"Sharp is usually helpful." He had seen the eye roll and smirks. "But as far as your hair, I dig it." Waiting just long enough to throw Keith off, Lance adds, "wouldn't be able to call you mullet if it was short."

Keith huffs. "You do know what an actual mullet is, right?" He hands Lance a knife, keeping the sharper one for himself. Grabbing a potato, he starts to skin it.

"Yeah." Lance takes the knife and hand Keith a cutting board. "You. You're the realest mullet I know." He laughs again the starts cutting the peppers. "About this size. I don't know." He tosses a piece at Keith.

"You were growing mullet too before. You're just jealous I can pull it off better than you." Keith quickly cuts part of the potato to match the size of the pepper. "Like this?" he asks as he tosses it to Lance.

"Maybe you're right. What then?" Lance purposefully tries to catch Keith off guard. He puts a hand on his hip then when the potato unexpectedly hits him, Lance jumps. "Hey!" He grabs it and judgingly looks it over. "I dunno..." He muses then throws it back at Keith. "Looks a bit mullety to me."

Keith bursts out laughing. "Good because yours looked a bit mullety too!" Does he understand what he is saying? Not at all, but he loves this moment so much. While still trying to calm down, he goes back to cutting more pieces. "Are the tomatoes going to be the same size too?"

Lance gives a playful pout then shakes his head. "Just in fourths. Actually. They cook down more, you know?" He elbows Keith, acting like it was an accident. For the first time in longer than Lance will ever admit, Lance is smiling... _really_ smiling. And maybe that's why Veronica had walked in with the intention to interrupt them and found herself watching her brother _finally_ look...happy again. Seeing it brings a gentle smile to her face and her eyes almost water.

Keith sprinkled some of his potatoes into Lance's hands. He knows bumping someone's cutting arm is a terrible idea. "No, I don't know," he says in a matter of fact tone. He takes tomato and cuts it in half before throwing a piece at Lance. "All I know is that it's juicy."

Lance's jaw drops and he huffs angrily then grabs a tomato and shoves it at Keith, letting it squish into his hair. "Oh my bad that one was bad so I thought I'd put it in the trash!" He laughs at Keith's expression then grabs more of the cut food and throws it at him. When Keith goes to retort, Lance dodges and takes off outside. Veronica rolls her eyes but decides not to interrupt. It's so refreshing to see Lance acting like himself for once.

Keith grabs another tomato as he bolts for Lance. "Get back here!" He yells. Some of the juice drips down onto his forehead so he momentarily blinds himself to whip it away.

"Not a chance, Mullet!" He has darted around the corner and now waits for Keith, ready to tackle his opponent.

Having lost track of where Lance went, he tries to sneak around. He has his tomato ready. He mentally laughs at himself for trying to be so serious during a food fight.

Lance jumps onto Keith when he come around him. He is on his back and knocking the tomato out of his hand before Keith can react. "Hah! Lance is victorious again!" He teases with a laugh.

Keith laughs and them smirks at Lance. "Oh yeah?" Since they are outside and on grass, he maneuvers in a way that has them both falling without him fully landing on Lance. "Whose victorious now?" He taunts as he keeps Lance pinned down.

Lance pouts and squints his eyes. "Eh...still me. You got a tomato to the hair." The altean marks on his face glow slightly and the faintest hint of blush is on his cheeks, but Lance sighs. "Now we have to pick more tomatoes and get back or we will never get done in time." Any excuse not to focus one right now.

Keith smiles and rolls his eyes. "How about now?" He asks as he rubs his hair against Lance's. "There is tomato in your hair too." He gets up and holds out a hand to help Lance up. "Truce now?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Truce." He grabs Keith's hand then bumps his hip against Keith's. "Let's get dinner cooked. I can't wait to watch a cheezy action film and pretend the hero is you every time he says something cliche." Smirking, Lance swipes up a couple tomatoes before heading back toward the kitchen.

Keith groans. "Now I can never escape my past." His smile still hasn't disappeared. "We'll need to shower before we eat or watch the movie." He'll also need to get his small bag from the ship later. Once back in the kitchen, he picks up the knife and goes back to cutting up potatoes.

"Really Kogane?" Veronica finally interrupts when Keith starts cutting the food. "You could at least wash your hands first." She teases before walking up and giving him a side hug. "Nice seeing you again." She then points a finger at Lance. "You two will be cleaning this mess by the way. It had better be clean." Lance holds his hands up in acceptance. "Will do. Promise." He then washes his hands and grabs meat from the fridge and starts prepping it.

Keith blushes at his own mistake. That's definitely something that come back later to haunt him. He was just so distracted by Lance he forgot. "Hi," he greets and side hugs her back. "Have you been here the whole time?" he asks as he slips out of her grip to watch his hands.

"Eh, not really. Just saw you two make a mess then dart outside." She lies with a shrug then starts grabbing things to help out a bit. "So should I be honoured to be in your presence?" Veronica teases. Lance watches his sister interact and finally takes his as his chance to let his guard down a bit. He sighs as quietly as he can and stops smiling, hopi g Keith is distracted enough with Veronica not to notice. It's nice to see him, that much is true. But it hurts knowing he is only here because he is bored and was forced to take time off. In a day or two, Keith will be gone again and he will be back to being lonely. Somehow, thinking that makes Lance want this day to continue forever.

"No," Keith groans. "Do I even want to know what you've heard about?" Krolia and Kolivan are the ones who represent the whole golran race but rumors are impossible to stop. He wipes his hands on the hanging hand towel then goes back to cutting. He takes a very quick glance at Lance and notices his expression.

"With that reaction? Probably not." Veronica chuckles. "Well, I'll leave you two to be. Just wanted to say hi and give you a hard time." She messes up Lance's hair before exiting the room again. Lance had, if he was asked, gotten super focused on cooking. All the spark that had been there a bit ago seems to have vanished.

The room fall silent except for the sound of cooking. After seeing Lance's expression, he couldn't form any words. Of course he isn't enough to help Lance. When is he ever enough? He bites the inside of his lips as he cuts the rest of the tomatoes faster.

Lance glances over to see Keith biting his lip and pouts. He gets the food in the oven and pulls Keith back outside. Sitting down and motioning for him to join, Lance reaches over and picks some of the tomato seeds out of Keith's hair before offering a sad smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring down the mood." He sighs again and reaches over to pick a flower and turns it around in his fingers slowly. "It's stupid to...nevermind." He starts, eyes refusing to look back up to Keith. Admitting why he is upset is too hard. Especially since Keith is just going to leave again soon anyway.

Keith shifts to laying down. "It's okay... It's really hard smiling all the time." He smiles softly as he tries to lift the mood back up. "There have been times where a kid would ask why I'm not smiling and then wouldn't stop bothering me until I genuinely smiled." He rolls onto his side to face Lance. The angle of the sun makes Lance look like he is glowing and it's breathtaking. His gaze is so soft. "Don't be sorry for something you can't control."

Lance's heart hurts when he looks down at Keith. The marks on his cheeks glow brightly. Why does love have to be so stupid?! That dumb smile is one of his favorite things and...well, it's not like Keith feels the same. Not even Allura really did. Maybe he just...isn't loveable. Though he tries to smile, it only comes out as a frown. "It's...not what you think though." He sighs heavily then sits back and looks back up to the sky. After a few minutes of silence, he looks back over to Keith and finally smiles again. "It's just...Nice to see you again."

"It's really nice to see you too," Keith sighs softly. "Maybe you should take time away from the farm. Hang out with Hunk and Pidge for a week," he suggests. "I can't guarantee I'll be available often and you should _definitely_ not just hang out with me. You might start growing a mullet again." He nudges Lance's side. "They really do want to see you more often. They mention it from time to time."

Lance gives a small sideways at Keith. "They are always busy. Last time I tried to visit Hunk, he was catering some big meal. And Pidge was so lost in tinkering with some new thing that they kinda forgot I was around after a while." He pretends that doesn't add salt to his wounds. With a weak elbow into Keith's arm, Lance smiles a bit more. "You all have more going on than me. I just do my thing here and occasionally talk to local kids." Looking back toward the sky, Lance's smile fades a bit. "I kinda miss it all sometimes. Not like, the war or anything, but...the closeness we all had when our goals were all the same." With a heavy sigh, Lance looks back over to Keith and his eyes are sad despite the smile on his face. "I know it's silly."

"It's not silly. Why did you decide to be a farmer? You would have been an _amazing_ teacher!" Keith finally explodes. He sits up and half glares at Lance. "What happened to the amazing sharpshooter? No one could teach others how to shoot like you." If Lance worked at the Garrison, they would see each other far more often. Lance would be actually busy and surrounded by more than just cows and plants. "At the very least, you could have been a teacher at a regular school or some guest speaker all over the universe."

Lance curls in on himself a bit and shakes his head. Hearing how Keith sees him despite everything...it's flatteringly painful. He swallows hard and just stares at Keith without saying anything. Keith wants answers, sure, but Lance can't answer them. Not right now. "I..." He starts then stands up. "Need to go check on the food." He bows his head and turns to walk away.

Once Lance is gone, Keith sighs and flops back down onto the grass. Of course he messed that up. It's just that... This farm is just so far from what the Lance he knew would have wanted to do for the rest of his life. Sure he was one of the most homesick out of everyone but this? Does Lance even want him sticking around anymore? Either way, he needs a shower. He gets up to go get the clothes he brought from the ship. "Where's Keith?" Veronica asks when he sees Lance alone in the kitchen.

Lance feels bad for not just...telling Keith the truth but the truth is, well, the truth hurts. He sighs while looking into the oven and making sure everything seems to be cooking well. When he hears Veronica, Lance stands and shrugs. "Last I knew he was outside." No longer does he hide himself from Veronica. She knows how broken he is anyway so what does it matter? "Did you need him for something? I'm sure I can go find him."

"No, it's just odd seeing you without him suddenly," She answers. Veronica leans against the counter and crosses her arms. "You should find him for yourself. It was so nice seeing you actually happy." She also knows about Lance's old crush on Keith. Lance's reaction when she asked him to help them hook up more than a year ago was pretty funny.

Lance has a guilty expression as he turns his eyes to the ground. "He asked why I'm a farmer and...I didnt have the heart to tell him why." He speaks at last. With a sigh, Lance looks over to Veronica. "He's only gonna be around a day or two then he's going back out there." Lance unconsciously hugs himself.

Veronica sighs and hugs Lance. "But he is the only one who has ever come here to see you. Just say that you like him, I'm sure the two of you can work something out. Me and Acxa did and she is a part of his group."

Lance blushes, marks glowing brilliantly at her words, but hugs back. "Yeah but you two are _good_ at talking." He sighs heavily and pulls back. "Sure I'm good at talking, when its mindless and unimportant but...I never know what to say to Keith." He bites his lower lip and touches one of the marks, eyes lowering. "Especially now. How do I...how do I tell him after this long?"

"Why can't you?" Veronica pulls away a bit. "If you still have a crush on him after all that's happened, that means you _really_ do like him. It's not some fling or in the moment type of thing." She personally love stories where one had a crush on the other years before confessing. "You just need to find your own way of telling him."

Lance just sighs and huffs. "Why?" Even this much he has never said out loud...even to Veronica. "Even Allura never really loved me. I think Keith is just...lonely like she was." He sighs heavily, as though some invisible weight was just dropped from his shoulders. "I just don't...think I could pretend to not notice that again."

"I understand you're scared but that's part of being in a relationship. You need to talk things out and if it doesn't work, then it's just not meant to be." Veronica pulls Lance in for another hug. "But from what you've told me, I bet he has felt lonely for most of his life. He doesn't seem like he would attach to someone just to feel loved."

Lance shivers a bit and takes in a shaky breath. "But..." He hugs her back tightly and exhales. "I don't want to lose what we have." He bows his head. "I'm good at losing what really matters you know."

"Take your time, test the waters a bit. I can always be your wingwoman," Veronica winks. "Once you know for sure you won't lose anything, then you can confess." She ruffles her younger brother's hair. "It's so nice to finally be able to help with your romantic problems."

Lance pouts a bit. "You really...think I should? Like ...what do I even do? I can't just ask." He looks back at the food and pulls it out of the oven at last. "I...would break for good if i ruined this too."

Veronica frowns. Lance hasn't ever been all that serious about someone until after returning from space. "I'm sure I can get some info out of him or Shiro." She doubts Acxa would know much and talking to Krolia about her son would be... Possibly really awkward. "Just have fun while he is here."

"You don't need to get info out of him." Lance laughs a bit and shakes his head. He looks up and gives a small, nervous smile. "I'll do my best. Hopefully didn't fuck it up." He starts to prep plates and as he does, more and more family members filter into the diner room.

Keith finally comes back in new clothes. He gets a little nervous from the amount of voices he hears inside now. Does anyone else know he is here? Does Lance's parents mind? He bites his tongue and knocks on the door.

Hearing the knock, Lance knows who it is so he hurries over. After taking a deep breath, he pulls the door open and puts his arm over Keith's shoulder to lead him in. "Everyone, we have a guest of honor tonight." The family hollers happily and they all shift to let Keith sit next to Lance. "You alright buddy?" Lance whispers as they take their seat.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just cleaned off on the ship." Keith scans the family members and feels his nervousness increase. It only gets worse when he sees what the food they were making looks like finished.

Lance sees Keith's nervousness and frowns. "Too much? We don't have to eat with them all I'm sorry." He glances over to Veronica for a split second with sad, worried eyes. "Or-or I can step away? Whatever you need Keith."

Keith grips onto Lance's arm underneath the table. "No... Please stay," he whispers. He swallows thickly before using his other hand to scoops some of the food onto his plate. At least he is the one scooping the food for himself but he can't help but stare at it longer than necessary.

Lance's heart jumps at Keith grabbing him. He looks over to Keith and tilts his head. "Does it look bad? I tried hard I swear." Sadly looking to his plate, Lance takes a bite, suddenly sure the meal isn't going to be good.

Keith grabs his fork and then his vision starts to play tricks on him. "N-nothing is moving, right?" he asks even quieter. Something about his tone makes him sound very vulnerable.

Lance's eyebrows furrow. He grabs Keith's hand and angles to meet his eyes. "You helped me make it. Of course nothing is moving. Keith?" Lance tilts his head and grips tighter. When they meet eyes, Lance's words vanish. He can feel Veronica's eyes burning into them. "Talk to me after? Or-or now?" Then, hoping it will help alleviate Keith's worries, Lance takes a bite from his plate. "Oh my god. I actually got the seasoning right!" He smiles over to his mom happily. "It tastes just like yours!" At last, he is smiling again.

Keith sees Lance smile and relaxes a little. "After," he tells Lance and shakily takes his first bite. It tastes amazing but with each bite he is just constantly making sure that there isn't anything moving. Lucky for him, everyone seems to be leaving him alone and just talking to each other. When one of the little kids would try to talk to him, Veronica would redirect their attention.

Lance has his food gone faster than he should. Honestly, he is worried about Keith so he wants to make sure he is ready to talk as soon as Keith is. A few times during dinner, Lance plays with the kids and has to wave off compliments from the well cooked meal. As everyone nears finishing, Veronica clears her throat. "Because I really love you, I will clean up so you two can spend some time together, ok? But you owe me!"

He grabs Lance's arm again. "Can we talk in your room?" Keith asks softly. He feels horrible for having such a reaction over food. It's just food that _he_ helped with.

Lance nods and waves goodbye to everyone before leading Keith away to his room. He sits down on his larger-than-is-necessary bed and pats for Keith to join. It almost seems odd to watch Lance be so calm and mature, but time _has_ changed all of them. "Talk to me." He speaks once Keith is comfortable.

Keith takes a seat and stared down at his lap. "I... I have eaten that before, I just never knew what it was called," he says," It was back when I was still being passed around from house to house." He claws at Lance's sheets to keep himself steady.

Lance frowns. He never knew much about how Keith grew up other than he was a foster kid until Shiro. Though...how a meal could make Keith frazzled like this does leave Lance a bit worried. "Oh, I...I think I should say sorry then. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." He swallows his pride and holds a hand out before motioning for Keith to have a hug if he wants it.

Keith grabs onto Lance's hand and holds on tight. "It's not your fault. It was really good and you didn't know." He takes a second to breath before explaining further. "This was back when I was 10. My foster parents had dished everything out ahead of time and their biological kids didn't like me as much so..." He bites his lip and his nails start to dig into Lance a little. "There was worms in my food," he whispers very quietly.

"Keith..." Lance frowns. He couldn't imagine how miserable that would be. "Makes sense why you asked what you did now." Not giving Keith a choice any longer, Lance pulls him in to a hug. "Well, we all like you here so you don't have to worry." He hugs him tight and doesn't let go. "I would have made something else had I known."

"Thank you," He whispers as he hugs back. Keith really appreciates this. He lets out a shaky breath before burying his face into Lance's shoulder. "It didn't help I didn't know what it was called. It was really good though."

Lance nods and smiles. "It's not a big deal, ok?" He runs his hand through Keith's hair and the marks on his cheeks burn a brighter color than ever. "I'm here for you. I'm also glad you liked it." Closing his eyes, Lance etches this moment into his memory. Hoping to lighten the mood a bit, he chuckles. "Maybe this is...payback?"

Keith smiles slightly. Despite having been a farmer for a whole year, Lance still has the smell of the ocean. He wonders if Lance has always been this warm. "Hmm? Payback for what?" He asks pulls away from Lance's shoulder.

Knowing the outrage that is sure to follow, Lance ignores the blush growing on his face and his glowing marks. "Oh...you know. For that time back in the Castle of Lions..." He smirks a bit and waits to see if Keith catches on.

Keith takes a moment to think back. Then it finally clocks. He gasps loudly and pulls out of the hug. "Asshole! You do remember!" He looks more shocked than actually angry. He pushes Lance's shoulder and asks, "Why did you keep saying you didn't?"

Lance laughs then rubs the back of his head and looks down. He debates telling the truth...he really does. "It...was kinda funny watching you be so mad that I didn't remember. Why did it bother you so much anyway?" Hoping for a silly reason, Lance chuckles and shoves Keith - who was still giving him the shocked look - and smiles again.

Keith blushes slightly. "Because we had a bonding moment! I thought we had gotten closer," he answers. Hopefully that didn't give too much away. "Thought you stopped seeing me as a rival."

"I stopped seeing you as a rival long before I told you." Lance admits with a shrug then lays back on his bed and crosses his arms under his head. "Still up for a movie?" He asks while looking over to Keith, trying not to overthink the slight color on his cheeks.

"Yeah. Just the two of us or with the family? I feel bad for ignoring them," Keith says. The kids were really cute, especially when playing with Lance.

"Just us." Lance nods and tilts his head to look Keith over. "You ever try to watch a movie with that many people in one room?" He shakes his head and looks up to the glow star colored ceiling. "And really, you don't have to feel bad. There's no rule we all have to be together all the time."

Keith nods. "What movie are we gonna watch?" He looks up and is amazed by the glowing stars. He always wanted them as a kid but was never able to get them.

"Cheesy action film, beyond that no idea." He watches Keith look to the ceiling with a smile. "I guess I missed sleeping literally in the stars every night." Lance is surprised by his honestly in that statement. "Something about having glow stars makes me feel...I dunno like things are easy." Glancing to Keith to admire for _just a second_ , Lance smiles softly. "I'll just hand you the remote and you pick what sounds good."

"Mkay," Keith says, unable to tear his dry es away from the stars until he feels the remote against his hand. He picks it up and looks through all the different movies Lance has. There is actually quite a bit he doesn't recognize. "Let's watch this one," he says as he stops on an interesting superhero looking one.

Lance nods and rolls so he can watch the movie easier. He stays quiet next to Keith as the movie starts. After a bit, Lance looks over to Keith and smiles a bit before turning back to the movie. "Thanks again for coming to visit. Even if it was just your mom making you take a break."

"No problem. It is really nice here," Keith says. He takes a quick glance at Lance. "Would you mind if I came by more often? I'm sure it won't be too long until I'm kicked out of the base again." Kosmo would also probably really like it here too.

Lance nods. "It is nice, isn't it?" He smiles and gives a quiet sigh. After a minute or two, Lance looks away from the screen again to face Keith. "The guest room is yours as often as you'd like it, Keith. Please, make use of it." He offers a soft smile and puts a hand on his own chest, struggling to keep his heart from exploding with nerves and excitement. "Just don't tell the little ones or they will wake you up at dawn by telling you about their dreams."

Keith laughs. "What type of dreams have they told you about?" He turned back to the movie but his head is slightly tilted towards Lance. His heart needs a small break from all those soft smiles. They don't mean anything anyways.

"What kind _don't_ they have is more like it." Lance looks back up to the ceiling with a tired smile. "They dream of being cats, they dream of being pirates, sometimes they dream that they a mini sized and adventuring through the house. A few times they have dreamt about being paladins like us and flying around the universe." He looks back to Keith and smiles. "Im sure with you here there would be more of the latter."

"I'm sure if they wanted to, in the future they'll be actually able to fly around the universe," Keith says. He can't really imagine there being a new group of Voltron paladins but Pidge's family is working on making teams just in case. "Do you ever wonder where the lions went?"

Lance's half smile fades a bit and he nods but then jumps up and pulls a stuffed blue out from under his pillows. "Blue didn't go far!" He laughs then shakes his head as he lays back down. "But, yeah. I wonder about it a lot. I just hope they are all safe." As he speaks, Lance grips the plushie tight.

The blue lion breaks Keith's heart. His smile turns into a frown. "Wasn't that supposed to be a gift? Why do you still have it?" If Lance is really this stuck on Allura, it's really bad. Then again, what was he expecting? The farm is filled with the Altean flower and the date photo is still on the nightstand. Though, the photo is facing away from the bed.

Lance looks down to blue and pouts dramatically. "Blue is important to me." He grips it tight and doesn't look back to Keith. It's not like Keith cares how he sees Blue. He doesn't think of that lion as how they started on their journey. He doesn't see blue as how Lance realized how much he actually cared for his stupid rival. With a big sigh, Lance looks back to Keith, still pouting. "What's it matter? It's not like..." He shakes his head and rolls onto his side to cuddle the lion more. "Nevermind." He mumbles.

Keith sighs. He is just going to say it. "It's not healthy to keep so many reminders of Allura. You should donate it or something." He leans a little closer, ready to take the lion out of Lance's grip. At this point, he isn't paying a lick of attention to the movie.

Lance grips Blue tighter and stares daggers at Keith. "Blue isn't about Allura." He snaps and looks ready to growl if Keith goes to take it. Between the venomous glare and the snarl, Lance is hardly able to keep himself back. "The the stupid photos or whatever. But _this_ is mine." His words sound double edged, to put it lightly. _Reminders of Allura...how dare he? If he needs a reminder of her and all his fuck up, all he needs to do us look at his reflection…_

Keith backs away with wide eyes. Guess that explains a few things... "I'm sorry, I thought..." He really needs to stop messing things up. "Sorry," he mumbles again. He glances at the tv and debates if he should leave or not. He knows running away won't solve anything and his heart clenches painfully at the thought of just leaving the farm.

Lance sees the look on Keith's face and swallows hard. "It's ok." He sits up and scoots closer to Keith. "I just..." Lance looks down, still holding blue. "I get it, ok? I do." After taking a deep breath, Lance looks over to Keith. "My whole world looks like it's full of Allura still. Even I can see that, ok? But...it's more than that. I promise." He pulls his legs up to his, curling in around Blue. "So, don't be sorry. You were just trying to help."

Keith clenches the bed sheets with the hand hidden on the other side of him. "I... I need to get something from the ship. You should probably go to sleep. It's getting pretty late." He watches the movie for a minute though, getting distracted by the fight scene.

Lance grabs Keith's arm. "Don't leave." It seems hard for him to say the words. "I know that face. And those lame excuses. I'm not ready to sleep." He relaxes, sighs and shoulders Keith. "Stay." His voice is quiet but almost playful again.

Keith looks at Lance, showing an expression close to a sad puppy. Though a second later, he is very slightly smiling. "Okay," he says softly. "Do you mind if... I lay down?" He doesn't know how awkward it would be, since this bed isn't all that big but there is still room.

"Nah. Beds are made for sitting." Lance chuckles and tosses a spare pillow at him. "Of course it's fine." He lays back down and stares up at the stars, quiet despite the many thoughts spinning in his mind. "Thanks for staying." He whispers at last.

Keith chuckles softly. He grabs the pillow and lays down to take as little space as possible. He can't overthink this, Lance just needs emotional support. "No problem," he whispers back before burying his face into the pillow. It's really soft and smells of Lance.

Lance watches Keith bury his face and sighs. As Keith struggles internally, Lance chooses to stay quiet. In doing so, he lulls himself to sleep in nearly no time flat. Once asleep, he rolls onto his side, now facing Keith and grips tight to Blue.

When Keith turns his face to breath, his heart jumps at Lance's face being so close. His gazes softly as he watches him breathing steadily. Slowly, he sits up to grab the remote to turn the TV off. They'll need to rewatch is later. Since he feels bad for taking up space on Lance's bed, he tries to maneuver around said sleeping boy to get out.

A knock comes to the basically open door about two seconds after the tv is turned off. "Lance, Kogane, Mom wants to know-" Veronica peeks her head in and her eyes go a bit wide. "He...is asleep. What'd you do? Drug him?" She snickers playfully.

"No!" Keith harshly whispers. He struggles a bit more to get off the bed without waking Lance up. "We were just talking and then he fell asleep during a little bit of silence. Does he not get much sleep?" He hadn't noticed any dark bags under Lance's eyes.

Veronica leans against the doorframe. "He doesn't sleep as much as he should anymore. Honestly, this is the earliest I've seen him asleep since...well since you all came back." She sighs and tilts her head. "Planning to leave?"

"No, I was just going to the guest room. I'll be around for another day or two. I have to wait until my mom lets me go home." Saying that outloud is so weird. Keith scratches the back of his neck as he glances back at Lance.

"You know he won't care if you stay in here, right?" Veronica chuckles. "He isn't well versed in sleeping alone. Between all the kids and animals, he rarely gets a bed to himself." She notices the glance back to Lance and raises an eyebrow. "Everything ok? Lance usually only pulls out Blue after a rough day."

"I mentioned the lions and he pulled it out," Keith answers. "Wouldn't it be weird if I staid? I'm not part of his family." He doesn't know if he can take waking up to Lance possibly either being in his face or cuddling him. He might die on the spot.

"Oh. Yeah he misses them I think." Veronica snickers. "Not part of his family. Right. Ok." She counts on her fingers as she speaks now. "You guys grew up in school together, got thrown into the middle of an alien war together, became the paladins of voltron together, spent years in space together, _saved the universe together_ and after all of it, you are the only one to visit him. Not family? Right ok." She shrugs. "But if you want to go to the guest room, I can show you the way."

Keith blushes and looks at the floor. Veronica isn't helping his situation. "Lance showed me around earlier but I can't remember which is the guest room." There is just so many rooms here. It kind of reminds him of the castle.

"Well, then come on." She waves her hand and motions for him to follow. "It's not like anyone expected you to remember which room was which." When they reach the room, Veronica stops and leans against the door frame. She taps her toes, debating whether to say the next bit or not. "Hey." She starts, sure Lance will probably yell at her if he finds out about this. "Look, I know Lance is...not himself anymore but, it really does mean a lot to him that you visited. So thanks."

Keith smiles softly. "You don't have to thank me." He is a little happy he is the only one that has come to visit Lance, makes him feel special. "What has he been like since Allura?" He asks, wanting to know the truth.

"Yes. I do." Veronica seems more serious than usual. "It's not like he will." She bites her lip and sighs. Of course Keith wants to know. "It was rough for a while. He was...pretty broken. But, he...dealt with it in his own way." She looks to Keith and sighs. "There is a lot he hasn't told you. And, I feel like it isn't _really_ my place to say it all. But, there are things about him and Allura's relationship that he doesn't talk about." She rubs one arm and looks...almost angry. "If you catch him in the morning, he's more likely to talk. His weak time if you will. Ask him then."

Keith nods. "Thanks Veronica. Oh!" He just remembered something and starts digging into his pocket. After a moment of fiddling around, he pulls out an odd shaped wrapped candy and two small rose charms. One is orange and the other is blue. "Acxa wanted me to give these to you," he says as he holds his hand open for her to take them. "The candy is her favorite."

Veronica lightens up and takes it with a huge smile. She looks them over then hugs Keith tight. "Thank you." She looks them over again and melts. "Give her hell for not visiting again when you go back for me will you?" Veronica waits for Krith's response then finally walks away. "Sleep well." She calls before rounding the corner.

Keith chuckles. "I will," he says then waves," Night." He pulls out his communicator as he enters the room. He sends Acxa a message to say that Veronica loved the gifts. He sits on the bed before flopping down onto the pillow. Does Lance's phone connect to Galran communicators? He messages mom to see if she can drop off one for him before putting the communicator down and going to sleep.

"Of course she did. I know what my girlfriend likes." Acxa teases a bit but is glad. Krolia doesn't respond right away but sends a message that comes early, likes, as the sun is rising. "I'll bring one by soon." Lance is surprisingly still asleep when the sun starts to rise but curls up tighter, trying to hide from the light.


	2. Chapter 2: Vacation Day 2

**Chapter Two: Vacation Day 2**

Keith wakes up and rolls onto his stomach before stretching. He check his communicator and rolls his eyes at Acxa's reply. Kolivan really needs to rename communicator to phone or something else. Keith gets up and decides to check up on Lance first. Once he finds the room, he knocks gently on the door. "Lance?"

Lance barely pries his eyes open when he hears the knock. "Keith? Come in." He mumbles then cuddles under the blankets again.

Keith slowly opens the door and steps into the room. "Did I wake you? Sorry," he says as he walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. It's kind cute seeing a barely awake Lance.

"It's ok." Not thinking about it, Lance scoots closer to Keith and yawns. "Need something?" He asks sleepily.

Keith bites the inside of his lip. He feels bad for doing this. "How have you've actually been this past year? You didn't talk much about yourself the last time we all got together."

Lance's grip on Blue tightens. "Lonely? Miserable?" His voice is groggy but he shrugs. "But it's alright." He stretches once before curling up again, eyes still closed as he scoots closer yet to Keith's warmth.

Keith frowns and combs a hand through Lance's hair. "It's not alright," he whispers. "This is definitely not the Lance I remember that was my right hand man."

Lance smiles at the hand in his hair. "Times change." Lance says plainly. "You have your family." He is finally waking up a bit more and knows what he is saying. "Everyone has their family." Looking up at Keith sleepily, Lance sighs. "You wanted to know why I stayed here right?"

Keith nods, scared his voice will break Lance out of whatever trance is allowing him to speak so openly. His heart aches for Lance.

"It's the only place where I still belong." His voice is painfully quiet. "Hunk went on to make a name for himself, revered chef, following in family tradition and happy with Shay. Pidge went home to the rest of the Holts and now they all work together to improve technology." Lance sighs and sits up. "Shiro finally got away from the war, found love and happiness and is making himself a family. And you found the family you lost and a place you belong." Lance looks down to Blue and sighs. "What other choice did I have?"

"You could have worked at the garrison like Veronica. Could have been an amazing teacher for both new pilots and young kids," Keith says. He places his hand on Lance's shoulder. "You don't belong on a farm, I know you want to be out there."

"Yeah?" Lance grits his teeth. "And teach what exactly?" He is finally letting how bitter he is show. "How to be a laughing stock for years? How to practically force someone to love you? How to lose everything you care about and end up alone? Thanks but I'll pass." At the touch on his shoulder, Lance snaps out of it a bit and looks at Keith with big, sad eyes. "Oh my god. Keith I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said-I didn't. I'm really sorry." He struggles to untangle himself from the blankets, trying to get away.

"No! Wait!" Keith grabs onto Lance's arm. "I should be the one sorry. I wasn't thinking of your feelings. I just... It doesn't feel right seeing you here. On this farm with a farmer tan." He sighs and looks down at his lap. "I shouldn't have brought it up like that, I'm sorry."

Lance looks over to Keith with watering eyes and shakes his head. "But I shouldn't have said it like that." He uses the back of his wrist to wipe away the water daring to spill from his eyes. "I _wanted_ to do something else. I really did. But I couldn't be alone. Not...I just couldn't." While still sitting, he curls up and holds himself. "So I stayed here. Where no one would ask questions. Where I wouldn't have the possibility to fuck something up again. Trust me, if I wasn't such a coward I would have left forever ago. But i just couldn't."

Keith brings Lance into a hug. He doesn't know how to properly help Lance with those problems. "You did nothing wrong. Everyone messes up sometimes." Is that even what Lance wants to hear? "And you're not alone, remember? Wherever you go, you always know someone."

Lance greedily hugs back. The grip is needy as he buries his face in Keith's shoulder. "I know, Keith." Lance speaks after a few minutes of struggling to keep himself from crying. He has gotten good at it. "I know, just..." He shakes his head and sits back, smile being forced onto his face. "Just, you didn't come here to listen to me bitch! So how about we make breakfast or go out and get some waffles. Our iron broke and I haven't gone to get a new one yet." He is hoping to make Keith stop giving him those big puppy eyes.

He so badly wants to drag Lance back into a hug and talk it out more but... It's obvious Lance doesn't want to. He sighs and looks down. "Sure, either one is fine." Though he really isn't in the mood for waffles.

Lance hears the sound in Keith's voice and frowns. "We can talk more after food ok?" He reaches over to Keith and nervously grips his hand. After swallowing his nerves, Lance smiles. "It means a lot that you care, ok?"

Keith smiles softly. "Okay. What do you want to eat? I'm not entirely hungry right now." He won't admit it but he has gotten into a really bad eating habit. He's so busy that he has stopped eating breakfast in order to either get more sleep in or to get started on organizing everything before anyone else.

"I'm not either actually." Lance actually laughs a bit. "I have a hard time eating when I first wake up." He scoots close to Keith and, be it that he is still tired or just...really needy, he rests his head on Keith's shoulder. "You know..." He starts, touching the marks on his face, then shakes his head. "N-nevermind."

Keith's heart skips a beat. He does his best to hide his fastening breathing. He grips the edge of his shirt and loosely wraps his other arm around Lance. "W-what is it?" he asks.

Lance sighs and scoots into Keith a bit. "It is more 'not so happy' talk. You sure you want to listen to my bitching?" He _really_ likes this. Of course, he isn't stupid enough to say it out loud. Veronica said, make sure there is no doubt. And there is still _plenty_ of that.

"I'll always lend you an ear," Keith says. "Besides, I'm better at listening than doing the talking." He smiles, hoping it would make Lance do the same. He will always listen if Lance needs it.

Lance meets Keith's smile and can't help but blush a bit and look back down. His altean marks glow bright but he clears his throat. "Alright, bit don't say I didn't warn you." For a bit longer, he says nothing. Just sits beside Keith and stares at his hands. When he finally speaks, the tone is almost more painful than the words. "I don't think Allura ever actually loved me."

"What makes you say that?" Keith asks, though he himself didn't like the relationship. Lance was always so sad and Allura never really did anything for or with Lance. He also heard from Pidge that Allura had a thing with Lotor right before they found out what he was actually doing with Atleans.

Lance grips his arm, hugging Blue tight, not able to face Keith. "I mean," he starts off quietly. "I think I _knew_ going in that I was just a rebound. She knew I...cared for her. Not like I ever hid it." He swallows hard and sighs. "But I thought 'if I really try and prove myself maybe things will change' and, so, I told her how I felt." He laughs once, a painful, bitter thing. "Told her how much she meant to me and you know what she said in response?" He waits for Keith to shrug. "Nothing is right." Lance gives another painful laugh and sighs heavily. "Even as we became official, I gave my all and...through it all she never once seems to really care. And the only time she told me she loved me was when she was...well it was the last thing she ever said." He swallows. "I think I just happened to be there and she took up the offering."

Keith feels his heart sink to his stomach. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. "Love is... Complicated. Even more so when there is a lot going on." He would have never done that to Lance. "If it helps, not all relationships end up right or perfect. There is a lot of bad relationships before finding a good one."

Lance nods and sinks into Keith more. He doesn't say much for a bit. "Yeah. I know. And I'm sure dating a princess makes for typical complications too it's just..." He shakes his head and sighs. "I feel like I am missing someone who only stuck around because I was convenient." He laughs a bit. "And now that everything calmed down...it's almost like my suspicions were right. I am a nuisance. It's why everyone is happy to have me at a comfortable distance away." Two tears are slowly rolling down his cheeks. Lance has never said any of this to any of them. Veronica knew most of it, but he made her promise to keep quiet.

"No one is happy to have you away from them," Keith says. He makes Lance looks at him and see how serious he is. "Everyone is just busy. We want our friends close by all the time. You shouldn't worry about us being happy if you're not. You're not a nuisance, you've saved our lives more than once. You're the life of the party. We don't know what to do without you."

Lance blushes at Keith's words and his eyes grow wide. He clears his throat as his marks glow brighter still. "I-" his voice is weak and nervous. "That means a lot." Finally, he just grabs Keith in a huge hug again and buries his face in his shoulder. "Thank you Keith." He mumbles with his face still buried.

"You're welcome Lance," Keith says softly. He smiles and buries his own face into Lance's shoulder. He's so glad he got through to Lance. "I'm always here for you."

"At least until you go back out there." Lance mumbles, half hoping Keith can't understand him. He doesn't try to look away or separate yet.

"Even when I'm up there," Keith corrects. His communicator dings notifying that his mom is here. Perfect timing. "Come with me," he stands up and grabs both of Lance's wrists.

Lance's face shows his confusion but he follows along. "Where are we going?" He asks, almost nervously. "Keith?"

"Just trust me," Keith says and drags Lance outside. There is a second ship just outside the farm. There is a flash of blue before the two of them get tackled to the ground. Keith laughs loudly and doesn't try getting up.

Lance smiles when he realizes he has been tackled by a just as playful but massively larger Kosmo. "Hey buddy!" Lance perks up a bit and pets the big dog before cuddling into him and laughing. "Missed you too big guy." Krolia follows behind shortly thereafter. "He has little patience. I swear he just _knew_ we were coming." She smiles then pets Kosmo's head. Seeing Krolia, Lance gets a bit worried. Did something come up? Does he have to leave early? Kosmo seems to recognize Lance worrying and nuzzles into him.

Keith pets Kosmo too. "He always knows." He kisses the side of the big space wolf's head. "You brought the communicator right? Can you sync it up for Lance?" He gently pushes Kosmo off the both of them so they can sit up.

"You brought a communicator for me?" Lance looks over to Keith, unabashed surprise on his face. However, the biggest pit grows in his stomach. Keith _must_ be leaving. Hoping to hide his heartache, Lance coughs as he slides out from under Keith. "I'll...I'll be right back. I need water. Plus it gives you two a minute to talk." Not giving them time to argue, Lance takes off. "Of course we remembered the communicator for your boyfriend." Kolivan trases as he exits the ship expecting to see a very red faced Lance. "Oh he isn't here." "Is Lance ok, Keith?" Krolia watches Lance leave with quiet thought.

Keith frowns and watches Lance walk away. He thought Lance would be happy. "I'm not sure," he answers then looks to Kolivan. "And he isn't my boyfriend." Kosmo nuzzles him so he goes back to petting the big guy. "I'm assuming you're also dropping him off?"

"He doesn't seem like the Lance i remember." Krolia remarks quietly as she moves closer to Kolivan. "But yes, he was anxious to see you again." "I guess I just figured you might actually tell him how you feel." Kolivan shrugs. He watches Keith for a bit before humming in thought. "At least it's a bit closer now hm?"

"Yeah..." Keith trails off. He really doesn't know what's wrong this time. "I'm not sure if he's ready to be in another relationship." He stands up and ruffles Kosmo's head. "Thanks for going out of your way for me."

"He did have a rather rough go with Allura." Krolia hopes that he gets over it soon enough. She's never heard Keith talk about anyone the way he talks about this Lance boy. "And it wasn't an issue. We likely should have given him one before." With a smile, Krolia pulls Keith in for a hug. "Two days still. Don't think you've weaseled your way back into work early."

Keith exaggerates a sigh and rests his head on his mom's shoulder. He is happy he was forced to take a break because it led to him being here. "Does today count as one of the two days?" He asks as he finally wraps his arms around Krolia.

"Hmmmmm." Krolia thinks for a moment. "If you truly wish it to be yes. Otherwise, feel free to count this as a cheat day since you technically saw me. And we got work related items delivered." She messes his hair up a bit then pulls him back to look into his eyes. "Do try to help your friend. I know it would mean a lot to you both."

"Thanks mom," Keith says softly with a smile. He hugs her tighter before releasing her. "I'll message you first thing in the morning when my break if over." He turns to Kolivan and takes the communicator. "Thanks Kolivan, I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it kid." Kolivan waves him off then hops back into the ship. After hugging Keith one more time, Krolia smiles and nods. "Have fun while you're here ok? I...maybe have added some credits so you have a bit of spending cash since I saw you decided _not_ to do that." With a teasing smile, she elbows Keith. "Take Lance out, hm?"

Keith blushes and looks away for a second. "I'll try," he says before waving goodbye. It's still really nice to see him mom every chance he gets. He doesn't leave to go back inside until after the ship is gone from view. "Let's go Kosmo, there is a lot of people for you to meet."

Lance had taken his place on a patio swing out back. He didn't have it in him to go back to working until he heard it from Keith that he would be going back earlier than anticipated. Quiet music is playing from his headphones and he stares off to the sky, having watched the ship leave. Not sure how long Keith would be, Lance doesn't move to go find him. Instead, he just relaxes and enjoys the music and nice weather.

Keith enters the house, the door was left unlocked. Kosmo is a bit too big for the door so he teleports inside. Hopefully the family doesn't mind. "Lance?" He calls as he walks through the living room.

"Uncle Lance!" Two kids come charging into the room and both stop to stare at Keith and Kosmo. The girl walks up to Keith and tilts her head looking at him while the boy bounds over to Kosmo. "Uncle Keith is this your HUUUGE dog?!" He asks excitedly. "Can I pet him!?"

Keith chuckles. "Go ahead, he's friendly." Kosmo lowers himself to lay down so that Sylvio can pet his head. Keith then looks to Nadia and smiles at her. "Sorry that I'm not Lance, do you know where he is?"

Nadia shakes her head and points to Keith's hair. "It's pretty can I play with it?" She asks then climbs up Keith's back. "Lance didn't keep his hair long. But his wasn't as long as this! I like it!" Back by Kosmo, Sylvio giggles excitedly as he pets and hugs Kosmo. "You are so fluffy! Such a good boy, aren't you? And pretty! His fur glows!" He announces as if Keith doesn't realize. Outside, Lance is still debating whether to go find Keith or just give him time to do what he wants. If he is leaving for a mission soon, what right does Lance have to stop him.

Keith is shocked by the forwardness of the little girl. He uses his arms to make sure she does fall and moves to the couch to sit. "You can play with it," he says, as if she hasn't already started. Kosmo's tail wags happily. He nuzzles Sylvio and then teleports with the child to the other side of the room.

Nadia sits with Keith and plays with his hair, twisting it into braids before untwisting it and starting over. "You should visit more often! I like your hair!" She giggles.

When Kosmo teleports him, Sylvio gasps and jumps. "Again! Again! Did you see?! Did you see?! Nad, he is MAGIC!" He jumps excitedly and, at hearing that the dog is a magic dog, Nadia looks over and raises an eyebrow. "Is he _really_ a magic dog?"

Keith chuckles, "Thank you." He pulls the hair tie out from his pocket and holds it out for Nadia to take if she wants to. He laughs again when Sylvio gets excited again. To show off Kosmo teleports again, this time appearing right in front of Keith.

Nadia jumps and give a little yell. "HE IIIIS MAGIC!" She giggles and pets his ears before climbing onto Keith's lap so she can pet Kosmo while still "paying attention" to Keith.

About this time, Lance finally stretches and heads back inside. He hears the kids shouting at each other and tilts his head. When he peeks inside, he sees Sylvio on Kosmo's back and Nadia has turned around to put Keith's hair up into a ponytail. "Hey Keith." Lance speaks quietly and gives a small wave, look on his face one of pure, unadulterated admiration.

"Hey Lance," Keith smiles. "Where did you go? Kolivan set the communicator for you. I can show you how to use it." He pulls out another hair tie to tie up Nadia's hair into a ponytail too. Kosmo wags his tail and teleports over to Lance to nuzzle him. He knows there isn't room to tackle the human to the ground.

Lance smiles warmly when Kosmo teleports over then pets the big dog's ears. "Did you miss me?" He speaks in his "baby voice" while nuzzling into Kosmo and scratching him in all the good spots. "I just went out back to give you and your mom time to talk." Trying not to look too upset, Lance looks over to Keith while playing with Kosmo. "You have to leave early?" He then seems to realize what Keith said. "Communicator?"

Kosmo's tail wags faster. He nuzzles Lance's stomach when the petting slows down. Luckily Sylvio takes over and gives the big wolf the attention he wants. "Yeah, since I'm still on break for a few more days, I asked her to bring you a communicator." Keith pulls it out and shows Lance. "Makes it easier to contact each other when I'm at base or on missions."

Lance literally lights up. Between his huge smile and the marks on his cheeks glowing, it's beyond obvious how relieved he is. "You mean, we can talk even when you're way out there? You really want to?" If he had a tail, it would be wagging like Kosmo's. Darting over to Keith, Lance is careful to take the communicator and look it over before meeting Keith's eyes and smiling. "I just...i thought you were going to have to leave early but this, _this_ is great." He grabs Keith in a hug and sighs happily.

Keith chuckles, it's amazing to see Lance's face literally glow with happiness. Of course he hugs back, especially to hide his extremely soft smile. "I said I would be here two or three days. My mom wouldn't change that until it's absolutely necessary, like there is some _huge monster_ attacking." At the huge monster part, he pulls away from Lance to make claws above Nadia's head and tries to make a scary face.

Nadia giggles and runs behind Kosmo. "Big puppy will save me!" Her hair is still cutely in a ponytail and beside her Sylvio's eyes light up. "I wanna meet a monster!" Lance, however, just melts more. When did Keith go from brooding -emo-kid to cute-with-kids? It just makes him love him more. Wait? What? Even though his thought isn't voiced, Lance blushes and his marks glow bright. "Uncle Lance is glowing! Is he scared of the monster?" Nadia asks with head tilted. "I think he likes monsters!" Argues Sylvio.

Keith looks over to Lance and chuckles softly. If only that was true. "Then I'll keep him!" Keith growls and playfully pins Lance to the couch. "I will attack all who dare save him," he says in the best monster voice he can. He also clicks his tongue twice to signal Kosmo that it's okay to be in play fight mode.

Lance freezes for a split second when Keith pins him to the couch. He likes this. Wooooow he needs to do something. With a shake of his head, Lance goes into play mode. "Oh no!" In a cheesy, dramatic voice, Lance weakly fights against Keith. "Help. Help. I have been captured." Kosmo perks up at the clicks and starts wagging his tail before bounding back and forth to block the way. Sylvio gasps and tries to dart around Kosmo only to be playfully captured and poofed back. Nadia watches for a second, as if assessing the situation then, while Kosmo is busy with Sylvio, she jumps at Keith. "He is _my_ Uncle Lance!"

"Aaahh," Keith says dramatically. He pretends to try to shove her off for a while before rolling of Lance. "This mighty warrior is so strong!" He lets himself fall to the floor with Nadia still on his back.

Lance feels his heart racing a million miles an hour and the glowing marks on his cheeks feel warm. If this could be an everyday thing, he would never be sad again. Lance waits until Keith is "distracted" fighting off Nadia to jump off the couch and hide behind it. "I'm free!" Nadia giggles then gives Keith a hug once he has fallen. "I grant you pardon." She says in an over dramatic voice. "On behalf of your hair and cool big puppy." Sylvio is climbing on top of Kosmo again and hugs his neck. "Glowing magic puppy."

Keith can't help but laugh. "Only because of my hair and Kosmo?" He asks as he looks over his shoulder at Nadia. Allowing the girl time to adjust, he slowly rolls to lay on his back.

Nadia thinks while touching her chin. "Hmmm and you are funny." "And he makes Uncle Lance smile!" Sylvio shouts while jumping off Kosmo to crash onto Keith with Nadia. This makes Lance blush and slink down behind the couch. Hoping to cover his tail, Lance clears his throat and sighs loudly. "The two heroes have saved me at last. I am forever in their debt!"

Keith grunts when Sylvio crashes on top of him. He laughs and ruffles his hair. "I'm glad you guys like having me around too." Kosmo walks over to where Lance is, then teleports them near Keith's head. The ex black paladin tilts his head up and gets a face full of fluffy fur.

"You are fun!" They both say almost simultaneously then start to shove each other while arguing who likes him more. Lance pets Kosmo before gripping to him when he teleports. He looks over and realizes where they are. Seeing Keith with such a happy smile makes Lance's heart to weird things. As quietly as he can, Lance hugs Kosmo and whispers, "thanks buddy. You are such a good boy." He chuckles rhen pets him again before plopping down next to Keith. "Guess it's official. You _have_ to visit more or face the wrath of Nadi and Sylv!"

Kosmo's tail wags happily before he backs up to give the two more space. Hopefully Keith will give him some sort of reward later. Keith laughs again. "I guess so." He then half ways sits up to try and stop the two kids. "Don't fight each other because of that. You should see who is the fastest and can catch Kosmo!" Perking up at when he hears his name, Kosmo starts wagging his tail again. When he sees the two kids looking at him, he teleports to right outside the door so there'll be more room to actually run around.

Sylvio is up and running almost as quick as the words leave Keith's mouth. Nadia is quick to follow. They are quickly darting around, giggling while chasing Kosmo. Lance watches them with a soft smile, unaware that he has leaned closer to Keith as he does. "Thanks for staying." Lance says once the kids are out of earshot. "I know you like being out there, doing you badass shit, but...it's nice to be with you like this." He shakes his head and shrugs. "Plus Kosmo seems to be king oc the house already so that's fun too."

Keith smiles softly at Lance without getting up. "He is the biggest one out of all of us." He could probably have both of the kids on his back and still have a little more room for another. "I could stay an extra day if you want, Mom said I could consider today a cheat day since she came by and dropped something off."

"He sure is." Lance chuckles and watches Sylvio climb onto Kosmo's back again. Nadia whines that she wants a ride too and within a split second, Kosmo has them both in his back and is running around. At the mention of Keith staying another day, Lance's smile grows. "It wouldn't interfere?"

"Acxa is currently leading the group, she can handle things," Keith says. "Plus, since Mom said so, no one can argue against her." He reaches up but stops himself before he can touch Lance's hair. "I really like spending time here too."

Lance laughs. "Yeah your mom gives off the air of "dont fuck with me or my son or you will regret it." So i can believe if she makes rules, they are there." He glances down to Keith and can't help but give a soft smile. If only he had the spine to tell Keith how he feels..."Then stay an extra day. We can figure out something fun to do other than just hang out on the farm. Then I...I can call you everyday when you leave?" He worries that will be too needy so he blushes and looks down.

"Of course," Keith says and flips onto his stomach. "It's why I gave it to you. I'll pick up as often as I can. He places a hand on Lance's knee and his smile somehow grows softer. "If you really want to call everyday, we could figure out a good schedule."

Lance blushes at the touch and more so at the smile. "It wouldn't drive you crazy?" He asks with a half smile. "I'm needy remember? And like to talk." Not even realizing he does it, Lance catches his lower lip between his teeth. "But if you don't mind, I really will. Every day at sunset here."

"I would mind," Keith answers," And I'll always let you know if we need to change the time due to a mission." Though he thinks some planets would love to be a part of a video chat. "I'm always here for you, remember?" His heart beats fast, if only they were actually boyfriends. His heart aches at the reminder that Lance probably won't be ready for another partner for a while longer.

Lance smiles warmly and nods. "Same to you Keith." He responds quietly then has to swallow the lump in his throat. Why does Keith's mouth look so inviting right now? Sure, he realized even before Keith first left for the blades that he cared for him, but somehow the distance made his heart ache to be with him. Pretending with Allura had only made him wish he had at least _tried_ to tell Keith. Not being sure how much longer he could take this closeness, Lance looks toward the kitchen. "Did you want me to make something? I'm actually pretty hungry now."

Keith chuckles. "Yes, please. Do you want help so we can feed the kiddos too?" He asks as he finally gets up. As if Kosmo was being called himself, he appears with the two kids still on his back. Keith pets behind the ears. "You guys had fun out there?"

Lance smiles and shrugs. "Why don't you guys have fun playing. I will cook up some quick quesadillas or something." He can't help but think that sounds like such a...family thing to say. The kids play with dad and the dog while the mom cooks in the kitchen. The last thought makes Lance's face scrunch. "Sound good?" He pets Kosmo then kisses Nadia and Sylvio's cheeks. "Yeah! I wanna keep playing! Uncle Keith! Try to catch us!" Sylvio hops off of Kosmo and takes off at top speed.

Keith's hearts skips a beat with each kiss sound. Half of him anticipates getting a kiss too. "Just call us when you're done," he says before taking off after Sylvio. Nadia decided to stay on Kosmo a bit longer until Keith was a good distance away. The three of them run around for a while before Keith finally catch them. "Haha! I win!"

Lance messes up the kids hair before walking back. His heart feels ready to explode as he cooks. He doesn't even realize he is smiling the whole time. Once or twice, he peaks outside to watch the four of them dart around and it only males his heart do flips more. If anyone were to see him, he would be beyond flustered. Sylvio had continued running around until Keith scooped him up in one arm the laughs and tries to wiggle away before he feels Keith scoop up Nadia with the other arm. "Wow you are really strong too Uncle Keith! Do you have to be strong to be a paladin?" Sylvio asks quickly. "I want to be a paladin one day!"

"Hmmn... There are multiple ways of being strong," Keith answers. He sits down, making the kids sit on either side of him. "When we first started, not all of us were physically fit, but we were all strong in different ways. Pidge and Hunk are both mentally strong." He pokes Sylvio's head. "You have plenty of time to train yourself to be a paladin."

The kids both take their seats and listen excitedly. Nadia starta to toy with Keith's hair but Sylvio is intently listening. "Was Uncle Lance strong?" He asks with a serious face. "He never tells us much about what he did." "Yeah but he says you were the strongest." Nadia speaks plainly. "Well, he thought Shiro was the strongest cuz he was the hero with big muscles and stuff." Sylvio quickly retorts. "Yeah! But he said Keith proved himself strongest! Cuz he never stopped fighting for everyone!" Nadia almost gets angry. "But he never said if he waa strong. " Lance ia plating the meals, unaware how much the kids just told Keith and carries four plates outside and has a big bag around one arm. "Food time." He calls as he steps outside.

Keith blushes. He is definitely not stronger than Shiro, even if he had both his arms. "Uncle Lance was very strong," he says softly. He then picks the two kids back up again, "Time to eat!" They all go back inside and sit around the table. "Thanks Lance." Keith fights the urge to peck the man on his cheek.

Lance puts the food in front of each person before filling a bowl with all the chicken he had but up for Kosmo and handing it to Keith to give. Shrugging, Lance shakes his head. "Thanks for keeping the young ones entertained. You're a natural." He is blushing slightly when he takes his seat next to Keith. "Nothing special by the way. Just chicken peppers and cheese." He takes a bite and keeps his eyes down. Across from them, Nadia and Sylvio are scarfing their food down in record time. As they are nearly finished, they are ushered away by their mom, hoping to give Lance and Keith a break.

Keith holds out a chicken piece for Kosmo to take, which he does happily. "I've gotten used to being around kids on the base and during missions, so not really a natural." He starts to eat his food, licking his lips after each bite to make sure he isn't wasting anything. "This is so good."

Lance glances over at Keith and shakes his head. "Still think you're a natural. They both love you already. Only naturals can do that." He blinks hard to force himself to look away when he watches Keith lick his lips then blushes and shakes his head. "It's only really good because you have missed human food." Lance chuckles and eats more. "What did you want to do after lunch?"

"We didn't finish the movie last night," Keith answers. "We could rewatch it and finish it." He holds out another piece for Kosmo. "And your food is good, even the kids agree with how they scarfed it down." He scratches behind Kosmo's ears.

"Ok but they would eat anything." Lance retorts quickly. He puts his plate in the sink then smiles back to Keith. "On vacation and you wanna just watch a movie?" His smile grows. "I'm totally down." He laughs then cleans the dish, as well as the kid's plates. "My room again?" He asks, face still thankfully looking at the dishes as his cheeks turn pink.

"Yeah. You don't mind Kosmo being there too, do you? He'll probably either fall asleep or teleport away to play with the kids again." Keith feeds Kosmo the last piece of chicken before getting up and bringing the last two dishes over. "If there is anything _you_ want to do, we can do that too."

"I love Kosmo!" Lance pats his leg, calling for the huge dog then gives him a friendly head nuzzle as to not get his fur wet. "He can stay so long as he lets me cuddle him too." He kisses Kosmo's forehead then looks back to Keith. "I want to do?" Lance has to shush the screaming voice in the back of his head that is screaming things he knows Keith won't want. "All i want is to spend time with my b-'" shit didn't mean to pause. But he almost said boyfriend," best friend until he has to go back into space. So movie it is. But maybe we should pick another one of we both fell asleep can't be a good sign right?"

Keith chuckles, hiding the slight pain from being called Lance's best friend. It does make him feel a little happy that Lance vies them so closely now. "Alright, but you have to pick this time. We can alternate each time." He brushes his hand over Kosmo's tail. It's still hard to believe how big he grew. "I think Kosmo is past triple the size we met him as."

" _ **I**_ have to pick? Ugh." Lance pouts as he dries his hands off. "But I can watch movies anytime. You are only here for a while." He whines playfully then turns and hugs Kosmo - to hide how badly he wants to cling to Keith - and uses his baby voice to talk to the big dog. "He is the biggest good boy, yes he is. Fluffy and amazing. Aren't you boy? Yes you are. Yes you are." He pets along Kosmo's neck as he nuzzles into him then playfully turns and half tackles Keith, not knocking him over but knocking him back at least. "At least pick a genre. I don't wanna pick something you will hate "

Kosmo's tail thumps against the group happily. It's a good thing this house is mostly child proof otherwise a lot of things would be shaking or falling down right now. Keith grunts slightly. "Action or horror," he answers as he wraps his arms around Lance. "And what was the point of that?" He grips onto Lance's shirt tightly. "Cause now you're captured again."

Lance pouts dramatically when Keith keeps him captured. "Kosmo! Save me buddy! I'm captured!" He calls to the dog - who pretends to hear something outside and teleports away - with a smile before swallowing and looking back at Keith and freezing for a minute. Everything around him slows down. Goddamnit he just wants to kiss him already. Does Keith even realize how this feels? Probably not. "I hear there's a good new horror movie in the collection. Don't know much about it, but maybe we should try that since action didn't go well yesterday." He doesnt move to pull away or anything and his eyes stay glued to Keith's. "Popcorn?" He asks at last.

Keith laughs when Kosmo teleports away. He looks outside to see his companion running around in the flowers. His attention moves down to Lance and he smiles softly. "Maybe that's why we fell asleep, we didn't have popcorn." He doesn't move off Lance yet, getting lost on those dark blue eyes. If he had said something before they got back to earth, how different would things be?

Lance can't hide his breath slowly speeding up. That soft fucking smile kills him. It makes the marks on his cheeks glow and he finally has to swallow the lump in his throat to be able to speak. "Popcorn is pretty magic." His voice is quieter than usual. "Especially how I make it. Homemade melted butter and everything." The way Keith is looking into his eyes makes Lance's head scream. _No doubts. Not a single one. You are imagining this! Stop it! Snap out of it!_ "W-want to help?" He asks quietly

Keith's smiles widen, being snapped out of his daze. "Sure!" He finally releases Lance. "How do you home make butter?" His eyes travel to Lance's altean marks. They do look cute on him. He wonders if Lance still sees himself as human or if he considers himself altean now.

Lance exhales quietly then watches as Keith looks him over again anyway and blushes. "The butter was already made. I just melt it in a skillet." He pouts a little. "What are you looking at?"

"Hmn? Nothing..." Keith trails off. Seeing the marks shine brings more attention to Lance's eyes. "Just really cute," he whispers to himself.

Lance feels paranoid but sighs and walks over to get a skillet and the popcorn. He even makes the popcorn from plain, unpacked kernels. "Is it the marks?" He asks once he is facing the stove.

"Yeah," Keith honestly answers. "It's cute how it's blue." He instantly slaps his hand over his mouth. That wasn't filtered at all. His cheeks flare as he hopes to whatever higher being there is that Lance doesn't take it the wrong way.

Lance fumbles the butter container when Keith says something about him is cute. His face all through to his ears turn bright red. After taking a deep breath, Lance swallows hard and hopes the blush has faded a bit. Maybe he just meant he likes the marks? He turns to look at Keith and sees he is blushing too. "Y-you like them?" He asks and covers one with the hand not holding the butter.

Keith looks away, his hand still covering his mouth. He pulls his hand higher to hide his cheeks too. "I-I do..." he mumbles softly. Where is everyone when he needs a distraction? "It's nice on you." Looking back at Lance, he really Hope's his blush means he likes the complement rather than just being embarrassed.

Lance covers his face with his hands and makes an odd...whining sound. After turning back to melt more butter, Lance bows his head and clears his throat. "Tha-thank you. I kinda, hate them sometimes but...but they do kinda, you know, I guess? And I'm glad. Or you know?" He isn't doing a good job of speaking. Does that mean...Keith might possibly find _him_ cute? Does he maybe like him too? No. No. Lance is getting ahead of himself for sure. Probably.

Oh no, he messed up. Keith made Lance feel self conscious. He'll make it up to Lance tomorrow, hopefully. "What should I do?" He asks, changing the subject. He grabs the popcorn and waits for instructions.

Lance doesn't realize why Keith is asking that as he hadn't turned around yet. The words spin around and around in his head. _"What should i do?"_ Go out on a limb Lance. Do it. He _seems_ at least mildly interested right? "Hugs are a good place to start." He then turns and realizes what Keith meant which makes him turn a whole new shade or red. "You meant-! Oh god." He covers his face and curls up, using the counter as his support. "You will put it in here once this is melted." He squeaks out.

Keith's hope rises, did Lance assume...? His heart beats faster. "Do you want a hug?" He asks, voice slightly shaky. He places the popcorn back where it was and takes a few steps towards Lance. "We could... do that instead."

Lance looks up at Keith and swallows hard, face brilliant red. "I-I mean, only if you do. I'm not trying to, you know, I know I can be needy and I-" he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. "I like hugs." He mumbles finally.

Keith slowly steps up to Lance and hugs him. "It's okay to be needy," he says softly. "It's just you being you and that's perfectly okay." He nuzzles into Lance's shoulder.

Lance melts into the hug, feeling like this hug means more somehow. He feels warm as he cuddles into Keith and wraps his arms around him. But, this shouldn't go further right? Keith is leaving again in a few days. What good will come out of getting closer? But he also wants to know if Keith really feels the same...Instead, he just hugs Keith tighter and sighs. Hoping to calm his mood a bit, he jokes. "I guess this time we really are bonding huh?"

Keith chuckles softly. "If you forget this one, I _will_..." He doesn't know what he will do but he will be extremely upset. "Hold it actually never let you live it down." Hopefully Lance can't feel his racing heart beat. It feels like it's about to burst out of his chest.

Lance nods and and finds himself taking deep, heavy breaths to keep himself calm. "I won't forget this one, ok?" He pulls back a bit to look at Keith again. "Promise." Biting his lower lip, Lance jolts back to the skillet. "Shit!" He shouts when he realizes he nearly let the butter burn. "Bonding moment *after food doesn't burn ok? While watching a movie."

Keith jumps when Lance swears. He sheepishly smiles when Lance turns back to him. "Yeah." He grabs the popcorn again and waits for Lance to tell him when before pouring them in.

Lance sighs in relief when the butter is fine and he motions for Keith to pouts the kernels in. Once it's done, he pours it in a giant bowl and turns to Keith, playfully shoving a bite into the longer haired man's mouth. "Good yeah?"

Keith's eyes widens a little. He eats the piece before smiling again. "Yeah, it's really good." He didn't miss the fact that Lance's finger has touched his lip. "Ready for a horror movie?"

Lance does a horrible job a pretending he is ready. In the most, Lance way he can. "Oh I'm ready. Totally ready. Let's go watch this thing." He waves a hand and pulls Keith into his room then takes another bite of popcorn. "Horror movie with a half alien, popcorn and hanging out. Best night." He had said it jokingly, but besides the fact that he _knows_ he is going to jump, Lance means it. As if to seal the deal, he turns on the movie and puts another bite of popcorn in front of Keith's mouth.

Keith knows by the way Lance is saying that it's a bluff. He knows him well enough to tell by now, he doesn't say anything though. When he sees the popcorn, he take I again, making sure his lip presses against Lance's finger again. "Your turn," he says and holds out a piece for Lance.

Lance blushes at the feeling of Keith's lip. They are unusually soft. He zones out long enough that he just barely realizes Keith has a piece of popcorn in front of him. Hoping Keith did it on purpose, Lance decides to graze his lip against Keith's finger before turning back to the tv and starting the movie. "My popcorn is literally the best ever. No one can prove otherwise." He distracts himself from the tension of wanting to do...something more with Keith.

Keith blushes, his hand tingling. "It's the best I've ever tasted." He leans a little closer to Lance as he shifts his attention to the tv. He wants to kiss Lance so badly though, he keeps the hand that fed on his lap.

Lance can feel how close Keith is and...he _loves_ it. When he realizes, Keith's hand is on his lap, his face turns pink and he does his best to hide it by taking bites of popcorn. It doesn't take long until the first jump scare gets him and Lance jolts closer to Keith. Realizing him holding the popcorn is probably a bad idea, Lance scoots the small table closer to them and puts it down then jumps again, this time grabbing Keith's arm before he realizes how silly he is being and pulling away again.

Keith's heart jumps when Lance grabs onto him. He bites the inside of his lip before saying, "It's okay, I don't mind." He kind of wishes that Lance told him a head of time he was a jumper, he didn't want to make Lance watch something scary if he doesn't like it.

Lance nods then clings to him again as the suspenseful music picks up. "Just tell me if I get annoying ok?" He looks up to Keith with a nervous smile then cuddles into him. A few more scenes go by and Lance is fine...until the next big jump scare then he clings to Keith tighter and half hides behind his arm.

Keith wants to say he won't ever find Lance annoying but the words die in his throat. At the scene, he jumps slightly but his heart jumps from Lance's actions. "I won't let anything happen to you," he whispers, not realizing he said it out loud.

Lance half melts at the words but whines and hides his face. "It's just a movie. I know." He swallows hard then, with his heart pounding in his chest, Lance slips his hand where Keith could take it if he so chose. "But I know nothing will really happen to me." Trying to cover his own mushy heart, Lance chuckles. "I know better than to worry with samurai around."

Keith's heart flutters. "Of course," he says then brushes his hand against Lance's. He isn't sure if this was intended or not. Lance's hand is surprisingly warm, probably from cooking.

Lance feels the touch and is pretty sure his heart is going to explode. There's such a bizarre mix of emotions in his chest right now that Lance feels a bit dizzy. He goes to speak then a loud noise in the film makes him jump Whether meant or not, he isn't sure, but with it, he grabs Keith's hand tight and looks to him to see whether that is ok or not. "Jump scares are what really get me."

Keith also jumps, since he wasn't prepared for the loud noise. He chuckles and gently bumps his head against Lance's. "It's okay, it's what they are meant to do." He holds Lance's hand tighter. "You can change the movie if you want to."

"No I'm good actually." Lance feels floaty now. Keith is _holding his hand_ and genuinely looks...happy. His breath is catching in his throat and his heart is racing but Lance finds this moment oddly bittersweet. Right now, they can be happy. But...it will only be for a few days. Sighing, Lance gives in. At least for right now, he can be happy again. "The popcorn is totally being ignored." He whispers before resting his head against Keith's

Keith chuckles soundlessly. "I think it's better being ignored than being spilled on the floor." He would reach over and grab some if his hands weren't occupied with holding Lance.

Lance will never _not_ love the sound of Keith's laugh, even if it was just a silent thing. There was too much time where he hardly even smiled. When he spies Keith looking at it, Lance grabs a few pieces and eats one then puts the other in front of Keith's mouth. "I mean, you're right." He agrees while finding it hard look away from Keith's lips.

Keith takes the bite, this time accidently licking Lance's fingers. "We also still have all day to eat it." He rubs his head against Lance's. This is real, right? Lance is showing interest and everything is going great. This better not be a dream.

Lance blushes a bit at the lick and accidentally gasps before reaching out and grabbing more popcorn. "Yeah but fresh is better, right?" He can't breathe right. His heart is beating too fast. Did he ever get like this with anyone else? Feeling his throat tighten, Lance coughs once then looks back to Keith and bashfully offers another bite. "I just don't want it to go to waste you know?"

"I get it," He says before eating. "Would be easier if we had the table closer?" Keith moves his legs so he is fully on the bed. His eyes quickly move to the tv when the lighting from it suddenly brightens.

Lance watches Keith shift as though he is from a movie. Hypnotized barely begins to describe it. Though, Keith has a point. He reaches out and picks up the popcorn, putting the bowl on the bed against the wall, which makes him lean over Keith just a bit. "How's that work?" Though he tries to sound confident, his voices shakes a bit. Then whatever happens on the tv brightens Keith's face and makes his eyes shine and Lance is fairly certain he has entered a coma and this is all just a fanciful dream. "Comfy?"

It takes Keith a second to tear his eyes away from the tv. "I'm very comfy," he answers with a small smile. He reaches over for some popcorn to feed Lance. "Now it's easier for me to feed you."

Lance meets eyes with Keith and feels his breath stop again. He does his _very_ best to pretend this is nothing; to pretend they are just dudes being bros, but his heart _wants_ it to be more. He smiles a bit then takes the food, being sure to lick Keith's fingertip in payback. "It's cuz my bed is comfy." Lance teases once his mouth is empty. "Y-you're welcome to sleep here if you like it better."

Keith's heart skips a beat. He saw the slight smirk on Lance's face too. His face is probably extremely red. "A-are you sure? I don't want to take up a lot of room." It feels harder to breath, imagining sleeping with Lance. He'll wake up smelling like Lance.

"Once I hit the bed, I'm out. So so long as you are fine with that, just stay here." He shrugs, pretending his brain isn't ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING about this and how he shouldn't be doing this. Lance gets lost looking at Keith for a minute, as though he's never really seen him before. But then a shrill scream makes him jump and nearly topple off the bed. Thankfully, the popcorn doesn't spill everywhere, but it's enough that is noticeable.

Keith quickly hugs Lance close. He had forgotten they were watching a movie again. "That scared me too," he laughs and buries his face into Lance's hair. "How long do we have left?" Picking up popcorn off the bed, he starts to clean by eating them.

Lance sighs and relaxes in Keith's arms. He has just the right amount of muscle to make Lance feel just...perfectly protected. It's amazing. "I don't think too long." Noticing what Keith is doing, Lance helps but doesn't dare move his head away from Keith's shoulder as he does. After saying nothing for a second, Lance clears his throat. "You...really don't mind this?" He looks up at Keith, praying he won't have to say what he means.

Keith loves how clingy Lance is right now. "Of course not." He rests his head against Lance's. If it was possible, he would have hearts in his eyes. He wants to so badly tell Lance how much he loves him. How much Lance means to him. His heart aches to do so, but he is too hesitant.

Lance gives a soft smile and decides to ignore the popcorn to better cuddle then. "You know its me right? Lance? And you are saying you don't mind?" He nuzzles into Keith, hiding from a loud part of the movie. Tensing only while he is scared, Lance looks up to Keith and debates trying for a kiss. Instead he just sighs and looks up to the glowstars. "Stupid scary movie." He laughs lightly, eyes too afraid to look back to Keith.

Of course Keith knows, it's why he doesn't mind. "It's almost done," he chuckles. "Should we watch something else afterwards?" They could watch a comedy movie and then he would get to enjoy hearing Lance's laugh more. Unknowingly, Keith moves his face a little closer to Lance's.

"Not another scary one." Lance exhales heavily and shakes his head. "But," he pauses to steady his voice, especially when Keith moves closer. "If you want to keep watching movies like this," after taking a deep breath, Lance rolls onto his back, "I would be more than ok with it."

Keith follows Lance with his eyes. "I think we should watch comedy then," he says before slowly laying down too. His body is tense, waiting for Lance to tell him to stop any second m.

Lance exhales and nods. "I can do comedy. I will be more likely to actually sleep that way." He puts an arm under his head so he can comfortably angle his face toward Keith. Nothing is said as he stares at Keith, half admiring him and half trying to see through the illusion. Finally, he swallows his nerves and scoots a bit closer. Opening his mouth to speak, nothing comes put so Lance just swallows and nervously looks back up without saying a word. Placing his hand on the bed between them, Lance waits for Keith to match his motion.

Keith's heart skips a beat again. He might die from just looking at Lance. Not wanting to be the one to break the moment, he allows himself to get lost In Lance's eyes after grabbing his hand again. Unconsciously, he slowly bring his face close until their noses are almost touching.

Lance can't breathe, can't _think_. Not with Keith like this. He can smell his popcorn scented breath and feel his breath against his skin. Despite not being sure what will happen in a couple days, Lance feels his desire growing. "Hit me if you don't like this," Lance whispers then slowly moves the small space left between them and give Keith an uncertain kiss.

Keith's eyes flutters close. The kiss steals his breath away but he quickly kisses back. How can he not like this? He grips Lance's hand tighter before throwing a leg over Lance's. It feels so perfect.

Lance has to stop for a second to _attempt_ to breathe. Failing to both breathe and stay away, he pulls his arm out from under his head and _finally_ starts to twist Keith's hair between his fingers. God, how long has he wanted to play with this stupid mullet? Ok, it's not a mullet anymore, really it never was, it... _it's so soft._ Once Lance can't take the overwhelming slew of emotions spinning around in his soul, Lance pulls back - not far, mind you - and gasps for air.

Keith is breathing heavier than usual. He opens his eyes and lovingly gazes at Lance. He wants more, but he doesn't want to be too greedy. Rubbing his thumb in circles on Lance's hand, he leans in again. His head doesn't need to go far to be almost kissing.

Lance shivers at the look in Keith's eyes. He bites his own lower lip and looks to their hands then back up to Keith. Not entirely sure what to do next, Lance tries to steady his breathing but fails. His head is spinning and he swears he is getting high off of these amazing feelings. "So, you didn't hit me." Falling back to his jokes, Lance smiles as he looks into Keith's eyes again.

"No," Keith says. "What now?" His heart aches at the possibility of Lance not understanding or backing out. They are so close. His eyes are almost begging Lance to kiss him again. "Did you hate it?" He asks, his heart racing.

To answer, Lance just carefully moves closer but doesn't move to kiss him again. He doesn't want to make Keith do more than he wants. After all, even he said it takes a lot for him to want a relationship. "Nope." Lance gives an airy chuckle then looks over to Keith's hair and runs it through his fingers again. "But I'm jealous of how soft your hair is."

Keith closes his eyes and chuckles silently. "You goof," he whispers. Opening his eyes, he mentally tells Lance how much he is loved before giving a quick kiss. "Your lips are really soft." His own probably are pretty rough since he doesn't really take care of things like that.

Lance relaxes even more when _Keith_ moves in and kisses him. Even if it's quick. Even if he doubts how far any of this will go, Lance feels like this is where his heart was meant to be all along. Hand still playing with Keith's hair as they talk, Lance blushes a bit. "Yeah?" He smirks, not able to help what comes spewing out of his lips after the compliment. "I haven't made my opinion of yours yet. I would have to do more research."

Keith's heart flutters. Having Lance blatantly flirting with him feels so amazing. He doesn't have to guess and worry. "Do as much research as you need." His eyes are already half closed. Keith releases Lance's hand in order to wrap it around the other's waist and pulls him closer.

Lance inhales sharply. He literally cannot believe this is happening. The hand in his hair, digs its way deeper as Lance stares into Keith's eyes before finally kissing him again. After a slightly more passionate kiss than the first, Lance pulls away. "I...I will be right back." He blushes. "But, uh, raincheck?"

"Okay," Keith says, his own cheeks red as well. He watches Lance leave with a love sick smile. Underneath the happiness, he is worried something went wrong. Why would Lance suddenly leave? Maybe he just needs to go to the bathroom... Yeah, that's hopefully it.

Lance exhales then practically runs to Veronica's door and pounds on it. "Vern! Open up. It's important!"

"What is it?" Veronica asks as she quickly opens her door. She worried that something might have gone wrong between Lance and Keith but the moment she sees her brothers face, the worries wash away. She smiles and moves out of the way for Lance to enter her room.

"We _kissed_ Vern." Lance spews as he collapses onto the bed. "We were watching a movie and, and it started all regular. But then we were cuddling and he held my hand then we kissed." He is smiling in front of veronica for the first time in a long time. "Three times!" Sighing, Lance stares off. "And his hair is so soft. Like, is Acxa's that way too? Maybe it's a Galra thing?" Shaking his head, Lance chuckles. "I love him, Vern. Wow I love him." As though saying it makes Lance realize what he has been thinking, he goes quiet and stares off for a minute. "I...love him."

Veronica is smiling as she listens to Lance. She's happy they are finally getting somewhere. When he trails off, she chuckles. "So you finally admit it huh? Can't believe it took you so long," she teases. Sitting down next to Lance, she nudges him a few times with her elbow. "How was the kiss? Did it blow your mind?"

"I totally admit it." Lance sighs happily and looks up to Veronica with a smile. "It was weird." He responds, growing soft as he remembers the kiss. "It felt like...like, it was meant to happen. And we fit together perfect but," reality seems to hit him as he talks. "He's perfect though, you know?" He looks a bit sad about this. "And, he will be gone again in just a couple days..."

Veronica frowns and hugs Lance. "I can understand that feeling, but he can always visit again. New version of long distance relationships," she forces a smile, hoping to get him smiling again. "You should trust your heart, you know it's perfect. You guys just need to work it out verbally."

"But...he is _perfect_ Vern." Lance sighs. "And I'm just some idiot on a farm while he is out there seeing people a million times better than me." He looks at his hands. "What right do I have to take away his chance at finding something better?"

Veronica sighs and rests her head against Lance's. "You were a paladin alongside him, you were his right hand man, and _you_ are still _his_ crush. If you're worried about your job position, work at the garrison. You're only an idiot because you're keeping yourself on this farm."

Lance bites his lower lip. "Do you...really think that? I mean...all I ever did was fuck up and get in the way. What if he's only being with me right now because he's lonely? It wouldn't be the first time." Lance pouts and sighs before touching the mark on his cheek and gritting his teeth. "I'm afraid to let myself really fall in love again, Vern." He admits quietly.

It hurt Veronica to see her brother like this. She liked Allura, but how could she leave Lance like this? Lance never told her the full detailed story, just that Allira sacrificed herself to save all realities. "I really doubt Keith would date just to not be alone. If it will make you feel better, I can try to get him to talk about any past crushes or relationships."

Lance nods, still a bit nervous. "It's not like I can stop these feelings. I just, I want to be sure. But I don't know how to anymore." He holds his hands up. "I just...feel like I always fight for what I like only to lose it. And, I can't lose him. So...maybe it would be better if we just left it at this?" He sighs and looks to Veronica and smiles a bit. "That could be helpful I guess. At least I'd get to know if I have a chance at all."

Veronica rolls her eyes and playfully shoves Lance. "You have a huge chance. _He kissed you_ , didn't he? You've watched him the entire time you two were at the garrison together, was there any hints of him dating or liking anyone?" She understands Lance is just extremely worried and paranoid, but she isn't going to treat him like glass. "We could play truth or dare to get the info out of him."

Lance thinks for a bit. "Not really. Keith was always quiet and moody back then." The marks on his cheeks glow before he blushes. "Still cute back then though." Quickly shaking his head, Lance touches his lower lip. "Truth or dare could be fun." After taking a deep breath, he stands back up. "I'm gonna go kiss Keith again. _just kiss_ , don't get any ideas. But yeah, game later." He then walks back to his room and peeks inside before joining Keith.

Veronica rolls her eyes at Lance as he leaves. "Uh huh, sure. Just kiss," she says sarcastically. Once Lance is gone, she lays down on her bed and goes back to admiring the charms Acxa gifted her.

Keith perks up when Lance reenters. He is petting Kosmo, who is now laying on the ground, curling up against the bed where the table used to be. "Hey," Keith says with a soft smile. "He came in while you were gone. Tired himself out running around outside."

Another arrow to the heart again cupid? Enough is enough already. These soft smiles are too much. "Awww." Lance walks up and gives Kosmo a snuggly hug while ruffling the big dog's fur. "Did those kiddos tire you out big guy? I know they are pretty lively huh?" He then looks back to Keith and climbs onto the bed next to him. He can't help it; Lance is in love no matter how much he might try to hide it. "Can I cash in the rain check now?" He asks quietly while staying on all fours, well three since one hand quickly finds its way to Keith's hair and starts playing with it.

Keith leans closer to the hand, loving the feeling of Lance's hand in his hair. "Of course," he says softly and holds his arms out for Lance to enter. "You made me wait long enough." One hand brushes against Lance's upper arm and grips onto his shoulder.

Lance leans down, not kissing yet and smiles. _I know the sentiment._ Lance thinks while rubbing Keith's scalp and memorizing his smile. "Got distracted by Vern. She wants us to all hang out later." As he speaks, Lance takes his place in Keith's arms. It feels so strange to find a place he is so comfortable so quickly, but here he is. Finally, Lance leans in and gently kisses Keith again as his other hand finds its place on Keith's back.

Keith hums softly into the kiss. It feels so right. He wraps both his arms around Lance, making sure they are close as possible. One hand travels up to comb into Lance's hair, gently tugging on it. His head is spinning, he has been dreaming of this for a long time and it's finally real. He is allowed to believe this will last, right?

Lance melts when Keith wraps himself around him. The feeling of his hand in his hair is so different from when Allura would run her hand through his hair. It causes a tiny moan to escape his chest. When Allura had done it, it always felt like she was only doing it because she had to. This...feels good, seriously, too good.. His heart is racing and as much as he needs to pull away to breath, he cant will himself to yet. He has cared about this damn idiot for way too long. Fucking Keith Kogane stole his heart then ran away...  
Finally, Lance pulls away and pries his eyes open. "Must have had interest huh?" He chuckles at his own joke.

Keith raises an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be kissing you if I didn't." Lance will probably never know how long he has been interested. "Feel special because I don't find interest in a lot of people," he smirks. The hand in Lance's hair combs through his hair to get to Lance's ear. He isn't sure if the rain check was just for that one kiss or... "Do you want to continue?"

Lance blushes and hides his face before laughing a bit. "I meant like...the check had interest." He shakes his head then his eyes go wide when he realizes what else Keith said. Lifting his head back up, Lance blinks a few times then tilts his head. "You...you're serious aren't you?" Eyes fluttering shut as Keith's fingers trail over his sensitive ears, Lance smiles softly. And at least Keith doesn't think his ears are weird. "If you want to do something, you just do it. Isn't that the Kogane way?" His eyes are begging Keith to want to continue despite his words.

Keith huffs softly and smiles lovingly. "I am very serious." He pulls Lance's head down into another kiss. Without pulling away, Keith rolls the two of them so now he's on top. He keeps himself on his knees to keep himself from crushing his hopefully soon to be boyfriend.

Lance chuckles at Keith's response but it breaks into a slight moan when he kisses him. His hands both slide into Keith's hair as they trade places and he feels his stomach do flips. Despite his face being red, Lance is certain he is in heaven. Right now. If everything could stay how it is _right now_ , Lance is positive he would live the rest of his life with a smile. His chest aches with want and his lips can taste it, but Lance can't help but still be afraid. What if he messes up? Lets Keith down like he did everyone else? He takes a shaky breath and pulls away, resting his head on the pillow. "I'm not going to lie," Lance hopes to hide his insecurity behind jokes, as he always has. "I kinda like the view right now."

Keith chuckles softly and brushes his nose against Lance's. "I liked the view before and my view now." He shifts to lay on his side. "Does your family just know to leave you alone with me?" He asks ask he curls up against Lance.

Lance blushes and rolls to stay face to face with Keith. "Uh, Veronica knows. So more than likely, they all know." As he talks, Lance plays with Keith's hair. "But, I don't get many visitors anymore, so I'm sure they all want to give me space anyway." He sighs happily before wrapping his legs around one of Keith's. "If I wasn't going to sleep before I _really_ won't now." He laughs at himself.

Keith laughs too. "Shall we watch another movie then? Or at least have it as background noise?" He asks. He nuzzles his head against Lance's. "Soon I won't just be a regular visitor."

Lance shrugs. "That or we can go sit outside under the stars. I do that a lot nowadays." He is caught off guard by Keith's last sentence and actually stops breathing. That's bold. And he likes it but wow, it's a bit scary. "Is that so?" Lance hopes his fear can't be hear as he smirks.

Keith blushes and hides his face into Lance's chest. "At least, I hope so," he mumbles. Thank god Lance didn't think that was too weird. He then notices the popcorn still on the bed. He ate some while Lance was gone and before Kosmo showed up. "We should probably finish our food first."

"I'm not really hungry." Lance's stomach is way to flip-floppy to eat right now. He puts a finger under Keith's chin and makes him be eye to eye again. "I'm also in no hurry to move either." He whispers before moving to kiss Keith again. As he is about to, Lance hears his door squeaking open and laughs quietly when he sees a hand holding out a dog treat near the ground. "I think they miss Kosmo." Lance smiles sweetly, points to the hand, whispering so the kids can't hear him.

Keith's heart skips a beat when he sees Lance's expression. It's a little upsetting when they are interrupted. Though, he chuckles softly when he sees what Lance is pointing to. He reaches down and ruffles Kosmo's fur. "You energized enough to play again?"

Kosmo's tail flicks as he nuzzles into Keith's hand. He then teleports to the dog treat, which means he brought Keith and Lance with him.

"Woah! Ok big guy, we're coming too." Lance turns to Keith and runs his hand through his hair one more time before giving him a gentle kiss. "Let's keep these guys occupied for a bit, then we can lay in the grass and admire the stars ok?"

"Uncle Lance, Uncle Lance!" Sylvio tugs on Lance's shirt.  
"What's up buddy?"  
"Can we play duck duck goose?!"

"Okay," Keith says softly. He sticks close to Lance though, even when the kids approach them. "Do we have enough people to do that?" He asks and looks at the five of them. Kosmo would obviously cheat.

Lance shrugs. "Why not? Should be fun." He leads the kids to an open field and they all take their places. Lance sits across from Keith so that he can stare at him as they play and Sylvio decides he will be first to go around. He goes over everyone twice before saying goose on Keith's head and running as fast as he can.

After the first go around, Keith got anxious, so the moment he was called goose, he jumps up. He let's Sylvio almost make it to his spot before picking him up. "Haha! You gotta be sneaker than that!"

Sylvio giggles but tries to get free. "Heeeey! Uncle Keith that's no fair!" He wiggles around , trying his hardest to get free. "You don't pick people up!"  
Lance watches Keith and melts. His smile is softer than ever as he daydreams about having a family of his own some day...maybe even with Keith...so long as he ends up feeling as strongly as he does. He gets so lost in his daydream that he doesn't even realize Keith is up doing duck duck goose.

Keith takes this opportunity and starts with Nadia. He goes around to Lance and combs his hand through his hair. "Goose," he says sweetly before bolting. It helps with how small of a group they are, it only takes him a few seconds to get all the way around.

Lance has only barely gotten to his feet by the time Keith is to his seat. He pouts despite his smiling eyes. "I'm never any good at this game, huh?" He chuckles then stands and starts around the circle. Starting with Kosmo, he gives head head a kiss until he gets to Nadia. When he reaches her, he picks the girl up and blows raspberries on her cheek. "Goose!" He says when he finally puts her down. Pretending to trip over his feet, Lance falls and lets Nadia take the lead before a second, only to tickle her sides and jump to his spot.

Keith smiles softly as he watches Lance. It's cute seeing him kiss Kosmo. He almost reaches up to brush his hand against Lance's as he passes. He laughs once Nadia is chosen. Lance is really good at pretending. Keith brushes his hand against Lance's since they are sitting next to each other now.

Lance looks over at Keith and smiles before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Since i didn't make it to you." He says quietly while grabbing Keith's hand. Turning to watch as Nadia tags Sylvio and the two of them start running around, Lance chuckles. "Between us and Kosmo, they should sleep good tonight."

Keith chuckles. "So long as they don't take a nap too early." They plaid a for a while, going from duck duck goose to tag. Eventually the adults got tired and went to go rest on the couch inside. "Are you hungry now?" Keith laughs as his own stomach growls.

"I am pretty hungry." Lance scoots close to Keith and looks around to make sure they are alone before burying a hand into Keith's hair and kissing him passionately. "Want me to cook or should we go out?" He kisses Keith's jaw just under his ear.

Keith hums softly. "I want you to cook. We can go out to eat tomorrow and I wanna treat you." He kisses Lance's cheek. "Maybe we can go out on a date tomorrow?" He asks softly with hopeful eyes.

Lance lights up and grabs Keith in a hug. " _You_ want to take _me_ on a date?" His smile is almost blinding. Both marks are glowing happily and he _almost_ looks like he use to. "I would love to." Thinking back, Lance shrugs. "I'm not sure I've ever really been on one before. I mean, me and Allura...didn't do too much special really."

Keith smiles widely. He'll really need to thank his mom later. When Lance mentions Allura, he frowns. He knows there wasn't much time for dates while Lance was dating her but they could have at least done movie night, or actually gone to clear day together for a bit. "What would be special to you? We could go to... The beach or an aquarium together," he suggests.

Lance sees the frown and touches Keith's cheek to offer a smile. "Hey, what's the frown for? It's not like I'm rushing to other realities looking for her or anything." He presses his forehead against Keith's and smiles softly. "Anything? Beach, aquarium, mcdonalds? I don't care." Jumping a little, as he can't help but be excited, "you are taking me on a date!"

Keith smile softly when Lance comforts him. He just gets to be hopefully be taking Lance on his first date. When Lance gets excited, he laughs softly. "Yes I am. If you don't care, I might take you to all three." They could go to the beach first then eat lunch before the aquarium. His hands start to feel tingly with anticipation now. "I wonder what types of creatures the aquarium has now."

Lance nods and grabs Keith in a huge hug. "I will leave the plans up to you! As much as you want to do, I will do. Promise." He presses his forehead to Keith's and smiles brilliantly then gasps. "Oh my gosh you're right! I wonder if any of the space mermaids work there?! Maybe I'll know them." Shaking his head, Lance jumps once more. "Ok, ok but we should eat right? Something quick and easy. Oh unless you _wanted_ something in specific?"

Keith is caught a little off guard but he quickly hugs back. Space mermaids? The ones from where they all got separated? "Just something quick and easy," he answers. He releases Lance so he can get up. "Want me to help again? Though, I don't know what you have in mind."

Lance thinks for a second then shrugs. "Maybe just some stirfry? He helps Keith to his feet with a smile then steals a kiss as soon as they are both standing. "Help me by...hm...I dunno. You can cut stuff. You like using your knives right?"

Keith blushes at the kiss but chuckles at the question. "Yes, I like using my knives." He presses his forehead against Lance's before they walk over to the kitchen. "Just let me know how bit to cut everything." He feels drunk of off love as he watches Lance gather everything they need.

Lance is so much more notably happy that the family members that are gathered in the living room lovingly tease him. This, of course, makes Lance blush but shrug and hurry into the kitchen. He gathers the onions, peppers, carrots and peapods before starting to toss them to Keith. He then grabs some chicken and starts to prep it. "Just cut them into whatever size looks good to eat I guess." Lance shrugs then just stares at Keith for a minute, getting lost in the daydream that...this... _is real._

It takes the two of them longer than it normally should to make stir fry because of how many times one of them would gaze at the other. They shared a few kissing too, which only made the family nearby tease them more. Keith wonders to himself if they are boyfriends yet, or if this is something normal before actually dating someone.

Lance is literally ecstatic by the time dinner is done. He could be eating food goo again and it wouldn't even matter to him. He just can't believe this is all real. Will Keith ask him out? Will they end up dating? If they do, will he go back into space with him sometime? But if he goes back into space, what if he manages to mess things up? What if he isn't good enough for Keith? Maybe it will be too hard on him to be with one of the other paladins.  
Doing his best to shake those thoughts and doubts from his mind, Lance takes his seat across from Keith and offers a smile. "So, I'm hoping I did it alright but someone kept distracting me so if it isn't great you have to take it up with him."

Keith gasps and pretends to be offended. "All I was doing was helping you. If the pieces I cut are weird, take it up with Lance." Thought he knows they aren't, except for maybe five to ten pieces out of the entire thing. Also, why is Lance sitting across from him. He loves seeing his face but he would also love to be holding hands.

Lance grins and leans over the table so the two of them can hold hands as he hurriedly eats his food. "Nah, the pieces look fine. And the spice is good, even if the view is a bit hotter than normal." He smirks, hoping using a line like he use to wouldn't be too much.

It takes a second for Keith to get it but once he does, his entire face is red. It's even more embarrassing because he can feel everyone's eyes on him. He looks away as he reaches for Lance's hand. He is at a lost for words, he can't even _think_ of a full sentence to respond to that.

Lance smirks and sits up proudly before going to back to eating and his mother starts laughing and saying something quietly which makes the other two older ladies by her also chuckle. "Cat got your tongue?" He tilts his head and smiles.

Keith pouts and lightly glares at Lance. His other hand then covers his face. "Stop looking at me," he says, his ears now red too. He doesn't know exactly why he is affected so badly but he kinda likes it. He peaks through his fingers to look at Lance's smiling face again.

Lance pouts but does look back to his plate, as though something like that has been said to him more than once in his lifetime. He doesn't take his hand away even somewhat however and is still done eating in record time. While in his head, Lance wants to explode and tell Keith how much he loves him, there's a tiny voice in the back of his head still telling him to give it up. There's no way someone as amazing as Keith actually really loves him. It's just a fun pastime right? Something to make him...not so lonely? Even if Veronica doesn't think so. With a quiet sigh, Lance doesn't realize how lost in thought he even is.

Keith starts to eat and would glance up at Lance every few bites. He rubs the back of Lance's hand, feeling bad he mad Lance sad somehow. Wanting to get Lance talking, he quickly finishes him food. "I'll wash our dishes this time," he says as he tugs Lance to come with him.

"But I will help." Lance instantly tries cheering up, realizing by the way Keith is looking at him that he has been too quiet for too long. He follows behind Keith, who simply refuses to let him really do much of anything, and finally just wraps his arms around Keith's waist and holds him from behind. Gently kissing the back of Keith's neck, Lance sighs. "I could really get use to this...as scary as that sounds."

Keith blushes again. It feels so perfect being like this. "Please get used to it," he whispers despite knowing it could be a while before it actually becomes an everyday thing. "What was bothering you earlier? If it was my tone, I was just embarrassed with all the eyes on me."

"If you let me, I absolutely will." Lance responds then kisses Keith's neck under his ear. "And...it wasn't you. Ok? We can talk about it while laying under the stars. it was just..." He pauses to kiss Keith's neck again before hugging tighter. "It wasn't you."

Keith shivers at each kiss. He doesn't fully believe Lance though, he did something to make Lance at least think of something upsetting. He leans his head back against Lance's shoulder. "What do you want to do now?" He asks as he holds his wet hands above the now empty sink.

Lance loves the pressure of Keith on his chest. He hums and kisses Keith's cheek before picking up a towel and handing it to him. "Want to go lay outside and be cute together while watching the sunset?" While asking this, he wraps his arms around Keith and lightly squeezes.

Keith grabs the towel and wipes his hand. "Sure," he smiles softly while nuzzling into Lance's cheek. He places his now dry hands on top of Lance's. "You got a cliff near by," he asks jokingly.

Lance playfully shoves Keith. "No, but I have a tree we could climb. Or several fields we could lay in." He looks into Keith's eyes and melts again. How is this real? It's insane to think it is finally happening...maybe...possibly. "But...one more kiss first?"

Keith smiles wider. "You don't have to ask," he says and turns around so they can properly kiss. He wraps his arms around Lance's neck and leans in close. "I like your kisses," he whispers.

Lance feels his nerves tingle as Keith whispers so he pins him against the sink and kisses him while burying his hands into Keith's hair. "Glad we agree on that." He whispers when he pulls away . "I kinda like yours too." Winking to let Keith know how " _kinda_ " it is, Lance then leads Keith out the back door to the patio swing. "Good spot?"

Shiver run down Keith's spine as he pinned. Dominant Lance is sexy. At the wink, he smiles softly again. "This is no cliff but this is good," he teases. As soon as they are seated, he rests his head on Lance's shoulder. He's a little tired but that's just because of the little kids.

"Yeah well I'm not cool enough to manifest cliffs ok?" Lance responds with playful snark then slides his fingers between Keith's and stares toward the sunset. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Lance chuckles. "If someone had told me, five years back, i would be sitting and watching the sunset _happily_ with Keith Kogane and-" he holds up Keith's hand and kisses the back of it, chuckling as he thinks aloud, "holding his hand, I think I would have laughed in their face."

Keith chuckles, "If anyone told me I would be like this back then, I probably would have scoffed and walked away." He brings Lance's hand closer so he can kiss the back of it. "Are you ready to talk about what happened earlier?" He asks, not wanting Lance to keep it to himself any longer.

Lance rests his head on Keith's and takes a deep breath. "I can try." He admits quietly while watching the sky. "I want to say first," he tightens his grip on Keith's hand, "I'm not trying to like, I dunno run away or anything, but I'm a bit...nervous about everything." He waves his free hand and sighs. "I know its stupid, ok? But, how many times was I just...used to get a means to an end while we were in space? And how many of those times were because I was attracted to someone?" With a heavy sigh, Lance shakes his head. "I guess I just...don't want to repeat that cycle again...you follow?"

Keith nods the nest he can. "But there is nothing I need to get done. There isn't anyone to fight right now, no one to be scared of. All I need is this." He snuggles as close to Lance as he can. "I'm not like all those other people." Lance means far too much to him to just be some sort of tool. They've been through so much together. He remembers back to when he caused the team to split up and Lance was there to calm him down.

Lance feels his heart skip about ten beata when keith says "all i need is this." His throat tightens and he smiles, nodding. "Well, I mean of course you aren't." He starts with a smirk, "most people aren't half galra with a mullet." Laughing before he cuddles into Keith more, Lance sighs. "I'm just...afraid I wont be good enough. I dont want to just be a needy guy who gets in the way. You are busy, and I don't-" something about "you are busy" seems to hurt but Lance forces a smile and shrugs, "don't want to make you feel like...I don't know, like I'm a pest."

"If you aren't good enough, then it's my fault for not seeing you properly," Keith argues. "You shouldn't change. You aren't a pest." If Lance is so worried about him being so busy... "You could always come with me, that way we will see each other more often."

Lance's eyes grow at his first sentence and before he can even stop himself, Lance spews word vomit. "Allura didn't see it that way." He then covers his face and groans. "I'm so sorry. I need to stop doing that." He slouches down, so upset with himself that he almost misses Keith's offer. "Come with you?" Lance goes quiet for a while and bites his lower lip. He wants to, he does, but...isn't that pushing his luck? "Maybe soon. I...don't think I'm, you know, there's things going on here." He fumbles over his words, not wanting to say he is just afraid Keith will get tired of him. "Kally, that's one of our other cows, is about to have a baby and I would want to say goodbye and...maybe next time?"

Keith smiles sadly but hides by burying his face into Lance's hair. "Okay and it doesn't matter how Allira saw it, I'm not her and you deserve better." He has the feeling that Lance won't want to leave next time either. He probably isn't enough to break Lance's chain to Allura.

"I know you're not." Lance runs a hand through Keith's hair and nervously debates his next words. "I liked you a lot longer than her and-and," he is blushing now, "and we, at least I think, are closer than she and I ever were." He lifts Keith's head, forcing him to look at him. "You are better." He kisses him sweetly then smiles. "Next time. I will be ready."

By the time he is forced to face Lance, Keith's entire face is red. "Okay," he says, wanting to believe him. He then smirks and asks, "How long have you liked me?" Making sure Lance knows he can't change the subject, he grabs his arm and holds it close.

Lance turns brilliant red and bites his lip. "I should have known you were gonna ask me that." He chews on his lip and then sighs heavily and groans. "Since the first time I saw you fly ok?" He blushes more somehow and bows his head. "How else do you think I always recognize your stupid hair." He jolts and his eyes go wide. "I-I mean not that I actually think your hair is stupid, just...that's...ugh." He rests his head on Keith's shoulder.

Keith's eyes widen. All the way from back then?! Lance had a crush on him far longer than he expected. He chuckles when Lance rests on him. "I was being a dick back then because they weren't letting me fly at my level." He combs his hand through Lance's hair.

"It makes sense, you were better than the rest of us by a landslide." Lance kisses Keith's neck as he speaks. "Honestly, i thought it was funny. But, I didn't want everyone else to know that. Hunk knew. I told him after." He kisses again, hoping to distract from the conversation. "You smell good. Is that weird to say?" He kisses again.

Shivers run down Keith's spine with each kiss. "I uhh... I don't know," he stutters. Is it supposed to be weird? "But you smell good too." He nuzzles Lance's hair. It's soft, he doesn't get why Lance is jealous of his hair.

Lance hums, seeing that his kisses are doing a fair job of distracting Keith. As such, he keeps doing it, balancing out the attention a bit by burying the opposite hand into Keith's hair. Not really having anything else to say, he continues to kiss up Keith's neck to his ear. "Did I find a samurai's weakness?" He teases.

Keith let's out a small whine when he feels Lance's breath against his ear. "N-no," he stutters, ears already growing red. The hand in his hair is keeping him from moving away and thinking of the position they're in... sends shivers all throughout Keith's body. He's weak to Lance and everything he does. He bites his lip to keep himself quiet.

Lance chuckles quietly against Keith's ear. "No? You could have fooled me." He sensually whispers the words as the hand in Keith's hair tugs slightly. Kissing along Keith's ear, Lance can't stop smiling. "The great Keith Kogane, thwarted by kisses." Lance chuckles again then lightly nibbles along Keith's earlobe.

Keith whines at each kiss. The noise is so loud, sounds like it's directly in his ear. "I'm not," he whines before letting out a quiet moan. He grips onto Lance's upper arms and his nails dig in. He is so glad Lance can't see his face right now, it probably looks horrible.

Lance shivers when Keith moans and pulls away to move to kiss Keith. "Someone is sensitive," he whispers before kissing Keith passionately. Pulling Keith close and burying a hand in his hair, Lance wishes this could never end.

As if hearing the wish, Veronica walks out and sees the two locked in a kiss and loudly awes. "So cute. Couple of lovebirds on a swing." She teases and sits down in the rocking chair across from them.

Keith moans into the kiss. His eyes close as he completely melts. When Veronica arrives, the two quickly pull away from each other but it takes Keith a second longer to get back to earth. It's easy to tell if you were paying attention to his body, his twitched the moment he was fully back.

Lance smiles and grabs Keith's hand, letting out a small chuckle when he finally snaps back. "Sorry sis, totally forgot we were gonna all hang out."

"Yeah yeah. You are love struck by the crush you've had _forever_." She teases a little. "But, I also want to actually get to _know_ my brother's crush a bit, you know?"

Keith cuddled against Lance, as if trying to hide. He can't believe they were seen like that. At least it was Veronica and not the kids or Lance's mom. "What do you want to know?" He asks.

Veronica hums then grins. "I'll leave the final choice up to you buuut, 20 questions or truth or dare." She grins deviously. "Gotta get to know you somehow."  
Lance grips Keith's hand tight and kisses his cheek. "You're so cute." He whispers.

Keith blushes more and lightly headbutts Lance. "20 questions," he answers. It's easier than having to come up with dares, also that way he can hopefully ask some of his own.

"Awww boring but ok." Veronica leans back and hums in thought. "Favorite food?"

Lance silently offers veronica thanks. He knows damn well the things she is asking will all help him later on.

"Anything that doesn't take too long," Keith answers honestly. He doesn't have one favorite thing since for a while, he only saw it as a survival need.

"Cop out answer." Veronica boos and sits forward. "I am a sucker for stuffed peppers and for dessert strawberry cheesecake." She taps her chin. "Rapid fire time; favorite color, favorite time of year, and...hmmm...if you had to be a sumo wrestler or a heavyweight american wrestler which would you be?

Keith scrunched up his face at the last one. It's so odd and random. "Favorite color is red and dark blue. Spring is my favorite time of year and... I guess... a heavyweight wrestler."

Veronica hums. "Favorite colors are you and Lancey Lance. How cute." She waves a hand. "Ok ok, lets see..." Tapping her toe, she snaps. "Secret talent, you know beside making my brother fall head over heels for you,"  
"Veronica!" Lance blushes.  
"Thats my name yeah." She tilts her head. "And, who was your first crush aaaand finally, do you have a favorite flower?"

Keith almost missed the middle question but hopefully his answer doesn't make anything awkward. "For secret talent, does knives count?" He laughs as he looks to Lance. "But something that almost no one knows is that, I'm actually... Decent at singing." He then quickly moves on before anyone can ask about that. "My first crush was Shiro and my favorite flower is on Daibazaal."

Veronica smiles when she sees the amazed look on Lance's face when Keith says he can sing. But she watches it give way to uncertainty when Shiro is mentioned.  
"Ok, to be fair," Lance interjects with dramatic hand motions, "I am pretty sure all of the paladins had a crush on Shiro. I mean...we all had eyes." He tries to remind himself that it's ok for Keith to have liked other people. Why does it make him jealous?!

"Hmm..." Veronica gets a devious grin. "Do you love Lance?" She raises an eyebrow.

"Vern!" Lance shouts but his sister only responds by glaring daggers at him.

"Also, that was before he had any white hair," Keith adds before hearing the next question. His entire face goes red and he hides behind one of his hands. Of course that was going to be one of the questions. "I do," he mumbles before burying his face into Lance's shoulder.

Lance's jaw drops a little - as does Veronica's.  
"You do. Really?" Lance asks barely above a whisper. He buries a hand into Keith's hair and tries to get him to look up.

Keith's grip on Lance tightens as he fights against it to keep his face hidden. "I do," he repeats. "I love you."

"Why didn't...why didn't you tell me before?" Lance feels his eyes growing heavy. He presses his forehead against Keith's hair and releases a shaky sigh. "Stupid. I love you too."

Keith gasps and is pressed himself more against Lance. "I thought... I thought you weren't ready," he says softly. "You were scared so I wasn't..." He finally pulls himself out of Lance's neck to see his expression, to make sure this is happen for real.

Lance grabs Keith tight and shakes his head. "I'm scared yeah, but that doesn't stop my feelings." When Keith looks up at him, Lance touches his cheek. "I think...I think I fell hard when I first saw you smile." He chuckles and looks down. "Remember my math talk? Well, I had planned to say something then but...I chickened out."

Veronica quietly takes her leave, feeling her job is had planned on mildly threatening Keith bit, after seeing his reaction...she is no longer worried.

Keith's eyes brighten and his heart flutters. "You were?" He's happy but also feels bad for having left after that. "I wanted to tell you so badly when you came to me covered in pans at sunset..." He lowers his head and rests his forehead against Lance's. "I was upset that you forgot about the bonding moment because... That's when I fell for you."

"Wow we really are a couple of disasters huh?" Lance laughs then looks into Keith's eyes with the softest smile. "I wish you had told me during that sunset." He whispers while running his hands through Keith's hair. "I was so head over heels for you then. It's why I kept blushing. In case you missed that."

Keith grabs Lance's wrist and makes him cup his cheek. "It's hard to tell when your blushing sometimes." He nuzzles Lance's hand. "You already had a date set with Allura, I wasn't going to ruin your day by confessing."

"But I loved you! And you actually loved me!" He pouts and holds Keith's face for a second before kissing him. "Allura only ever kept me around because I helped her not feel so lonely. But...you and I...we were always so close." He speaks, a little more breathless now. "But I always just assumed you weren't interested." Moving to kiss down Keith's neck, Lance sighs. "You haven't always been the easiest to read you know."

"W-well..." Keith is currently overwhelmed. He wasn't planning on confessing and much less prepared for it to be reciprocated. "You're not as easy to read as you think. I didn't know if you were interested either." He pouts.

Lance pulls Keith onto his lap and wraps his arms around him, burying his face into Keith's chest as his eyes finally water. "You... Are serious. And I..." Broken words exit his lips as he hugs tighter. "I wish I would have known sooner." He whispers painfully. One hand trails up to play with Keith's hair. "All this time, I wanted love...and I could have had it so much sooner with you." He laughs almost bitterly.

Keith hugs back tightly. "Maybe the universe knew that we might not have worked out during the war. There was so much going on, and I was gone for a while..." He buries his face into Lance's hair. There's also the times where one of them was so close to dying. "I also don't think the others would have appreciate having to see us like this _every single day_." Especially with the way they probably would have talked to each other through the com.

"Maybe so." Lance grabs Keith's face in both hands, smiling despite his eyes daring to spill. "I love you, you stupid mullet." He smirks then kisses Keith again, trailing his hands into Keith's hair softly. When he pulls away, Lance quietly admires Keith. "That or the universe wanted us to look like modern day Romeo and Julien." He smirks then runs his hands through Keith's hair again.

Keith throws his head back and laughs. They really do look like modern day Romeo and Juliet. He looks back down at Lance as he calms down. His eyes are filled with love. "I love you too," he says softly and kisses Lance's altean marks. "Either way, I'm glad we finally know now." He feels so light that he could start floating any second now.

Lance pulls Keith into a deep kiss. He runs his hands up Keith's back, trying - and failing - to slide them under his shirt. "Me too." The words are hardly a whisper when he pulls away. Pressing their chests together, Lance kisses behind Keith's ear again. "You're stuck with me now," whispering against the earlobe, Lance runs one hand up Keith's side and the other blindly searches for his hand. "So you had better prepare."

Keith grand Lance's hand and grips it tightly. "I think I'm pretty prepared," he says breathlessly. His other hand is gripping the back of Lance's shirt tightly. His heart is racing at a million beats per second. "Kiss me more," he whispers needily into Lance's ear.

"You don't have to ask me twice." Lance kisses him deeply, pushing their bodies together as close as he can before starting to trail a line down Keith's neck. "This might...be forward but," Lance kisses up to Keith's ear, "should we go to where there is a locked door?"

Keith allows himself to moan for Lance. His eyes are almost closed as Lance kisses back up his neck. He can imagine the amount of hickies he will have if Lance is given permission. "Oh," he gasps, having gotten to lost in the moment that he forgot other people live here. "Yeah." He blushes as he starts to scoot off Lance's lap.

Lance almost greedily pulls Keith back to his lap. He scoots forward and motions for Keith to wrap his legs around him. "I didn't say you could leave." He teases then moves in close to Keith's ear. "Especially after hearing that moan." He carries Keith around back to a door into the basement and locks it behind him. Barely pulling his lips away from Keith's skin, Lance pants lightly from want.

Keith moans at the whisper and wraps his legs around Lance tightly. He is a little surprised on where Lance decides to go, but he doesn't have anything to say against it. "Lance," he says softly before bringing the man into a deep kiss. Both his hands comb into Lance's hair and tugs lightly.

Lance gasps before pinning Keith against the wall and kissing him passionately. "No one comes down here." Lance finally gets his hand up Keith's shirt and runs his hands along the muscles there with a silent moan. "It's my...go to place to get some quiet." He kisses along Keith's collarbone. "And it's all locked, and further from...other eyes and ears." He goes back to kissing Keith's lips. "Tell me you love me again." He begs between kisses.

Lance's touch leaves tingles all over his skin. Keith tilts his head back for the kisses on his neck. It makes him want more, to be bitten, and to be completely taken ever. "I love you," he says between kisses, which makes him kiss with his mouth open.

Lance lets out a quiet moan when Keith speaks. He looks back behind them and carries Keith over to the couch so he can put both hands up Keith's shirt. "This is real, right?" He asks breathlessly as he takes his place on top of Keith, admiring him while running his hands over his chest and abs. "If this is real...what do you want?"

Keith's chest aches with need when he feels Lance's other hand. He gazes up at Lance as he slowly lifts up Lance's shirt. "I want more. Even if this is just all a dream, make it so I can never forget." His eyes travel down to Lance's abs, making him lick his lips from how built his boyfriend is.

Lance gasps and his breath pics up when Keith starts to lift his shirt up. In his chest, his heart is pounding rapidly, trying to break out of ribcage or so it feels. "Never forget huh?" He pulls his shirt off then motions to pull Keith's off. "God you are sexy." He laughs at himself once he has Keith's shirt off. This, however, doesn't stop his lust filled breaths from rapidly pushing from his lips. Something seems to snap inside him suddenly and Lance is suddenly pressed against Keith and kissing him passionately. Bodies pressed together, Lance twists his legs around Keith's, braiding them together on the plush, old couch. He licks Keirh's lips thrn forces his tongue inside as he grabs a handful of Keith's hair and moans into the feelings of them twisted together.

The moment their lips crash together, Keith is moaning. Lance's tongue feels so smooth against his own. If his mind was clear, he would be baffled by it. "Lance," he moans when they pull away to breath. Keith then goes to kiss Lance's neck, wanting to leaves mark behind. His hand run up and down Lance's sides slowly.

Lance moans in response and gasps for breath. When Keith says his name, Lance shivers. "I love you Keith." He whispers then angles to let Keith do and he wants. Gasping when Keith's teeth touch his skin, Lance feels himself growing more and more hot. "Cover me." He whispers, eyes hardly open in his ecstasy.

Being encouraged caused something to snap inside of Keith. His eyes turn yellowish and his pupil slits. "Mine," he growls huskily as he pushes Lance down onto the couch. He starts to nip all over Lance's neck, making sure to leave marks here and there. Especially a big one on the back of where the neck and shoulder meet. Keith then kisses down to Lance's collarbone to leave a necklace of small hickies.

Lance gasps as he watches Keith snap. He finds it to be one hell of a turn on. _Especially_ Keith calling him his. When he starts biting, Lance can't help it, he starts to moan before dragging his nails over Keith's back. "Keeeith." He moans loudly when he leaves the bigger mark and -without realizing he does it - thrusts his hips up a bit.

Keith growls and grinds down on Lance. He leaves another dark hickey on the collarbone then licks down to the chest. Taking one of the perk nipples into his mouth, he pinches and plays with the other. All the while still grinding their hips together.

Lance's moans become hitched as he tries to call Keith's name. Part of him starts to panic. Was everything Keith said to get him here? But...it feels **so good**. "My- ah- god Keith-ngah." His breath speeds up and when Keith starts doing everything at once, his moans grow louder. "*Keith - ah- Keith..." He can't stop saying his name. Its all finally real.

Keith licks back up back to Lance's neck. "Mine," he growls again before kissing him roughly. He shoves his tongue in Lance's mouth. His other hand plays with the nipple now cold nipple.

Lance kisses back hungrily and presses his chest against Keith's. "Hey," he moans while trying to get himself under control. "M-maybe -ah- we should slow down?" He moans, finding it hard to will himself down.

Keith lets out a soft growl that sounds like a purr before going down to at Lance's nipples. Each lick is slow but small, kind of like kitten licks. His hands travel down to mess with the tops of their pants.

It takes every fiber of Lance's being not to just let Keith continue. He takes a couple of deep breaths and grabs Keith's hand. "Keith. Stop." He finally sounds _almost_ confident. "Not yet, ok?" He tries to angle Keith's head to look at him again. "Please?"

Keith's eyes go back to normal. He gasps when he sees what he has done to Lance's neck. "I'm sorry," he says softly with a frown. "I don't really have control over that."

"It's ok." Lance kisses Keith's cheek and smiles. "It was hot, just... I don't want to go to far yet. Ok? Like, we _just_ started this and I don't want...you know, something like that to mess it up." He kisses Keith passionately then sighs when he pulls away. "You listened when it mattered. So don't be worried ok?"

Keith nods and nuzzles into Lance's neck. "What should we do now?" He runs a hand across Lance's exposed skin. He wonders if Lance had always been built like this, he would have loved to have seen it sooner.

"Honestly?" Lance puts a hand into Keith's hair then shivers at his touch. "Sleep? Today has been tiring." He leans over and kisses Keith again. "Or just cuddle and talk about stupid shit until we pass out. I'm down for that too."

"You wanna sleep down here or back in your room?" Keith asks. "Cause I don't really wanna move." He silently yawns since being sleepy was mentioned. "I don't mind talking about stupid shit though."

"We can stay right here." Lance finds Keith yawning absolutely adorable. He kisses his forehead then sighs. "Did you know, I use to talk to Hunk about you all the time? I think i drove the poor guy mad."

Keith chuckles. "I'm sure he enjoyed some of it. Were you cliche and gushed about all the things you said you hated about me?" He asks with a smirk.

Lance blushes and pouts which likely answers the question for him. "Sometimes." He speaks through his pouted, puffy lips. "We shared stories though after a while. Him and Shay really clicked, you know? Lance plays with Keith's hair and smiles warmly. "He was the only one I trusted to talk to. Despite Pidge having their own theories about us, I didn't want to add fuel to _that_ fire."

Keith closes his eyes, melting at the touch. "What was one of their theories?" he asks curiously. He was a little closer to Pidge than he was to Hunk but not to the point of talking about emotional stuff.

"That we _were_ dating and just pretended to hate each other." Lance chuckles. "I really hated that theory. Half because I wished it were true and half because Pidge never shut up about it." He laughs more then kisses Keith's ear and sighs happily. "Your turn." He whispers as his hand twirls hair around his fingers.

"What do I even say?" Keith whines, wanting to be dramatic. "I only ever talked to Shiro about things. I thought your name was Taylor for a while." He tries to think back to any good memories not involving Shiro. "I actually out flew one of our teachers outside of class."

"Wait." Lance perks up and looks at Keith with the mist dumbfounded expression. " _ **I**_ was Taylor?" He shives Keith and sighs. "What the hell?! You liked me back then too?!" Then he looks amazed again. "Really? That's incredible Keith." Lance's expression is one of lovelorn.

Keith's entire face goes red. "What? No! I never said that!" He curls up and hides his face in Lance's chest. When did he ever mentioning having a crush on Taylor? He scrambles through his memories to remember.

"I remember everyone was trying to figure out who the heck Taylor was because it was the only person you _ever_ mentioned. So we all _assumed_ you liked them." Lance laughs and kisses Keith's cheek again before slowly pushing Keith over. "You're a horrible liar by the way."

Keith exaggerates a pout. "I still didn't say that." He crosses his arms. "I was just interested. You seemed like someone I could fly with." It's embarrassing to admit he had a small crush on someone he hardly knew.

"That's fair. Like I said, we all just...you know, assumed." Lance slides down to kiss down Keith's neck and along his collarbone, begging without words for him to open his arms. "Maybe one day we can fly together huh?" He runs his hands through Keith's hair, admiring him with a soft smile.

Keith pouts a little longer before opening his arms. "If had back then, my crush on you would have been bigger," he whispers as he nuzzles back into Lance's chest. "You can always fly with me to Daibazaal." He yawns again once he is comfortable.

Lance is nervous again. On the one hand, he _really_ wants to go back with Keith. But on the other hand...he's still afraid Keith is going to get tired of him after a couple of days. Everyone else does. "Like I said, next visit, I will come back with you. I'll be your right hand man all over again." Lance cuddles down onto Keith's chest, kissing it a few times before wrapping his arms around him. "Let me say my goodbyes and stuff."

Keith smiles softly. "Okay." He won't force Lance to go, but he can hope. He brushes a hand over the dark hickey on Lance's neck. "If you want... You can put some on me. Do they hurt when I touch it?"

Lance flinches a bit, he hadn't wanted to admit they were a bit sore...but he motion probably proved as much. "They're a little tender, well the big couple at least." He looks up at Keith and tilts his head. "You want me to right now? I thought you were sleepy."

"I am, but what if we forget in the morning? I feel bad leaving such dark ones on you." He can't imagine how long it will take for them to fade. "I left so many on you..." Keith'll definitely have to try to figure out what that odd side to him is again. From past tries, it's not something that can be forced out.

"Keith, babe," Lance smirks and runs fingers along Keith's face and admires him before playing with his hair again, "I'm not going to forget that you want me to make out with you and leave hickies. Promise." He kisses his neck a few times then yawns. "And I'll be fine. If you're lucky, I'll wear a shirt to hide some."

Keith blushes as being called babe. "If _I'm_ lucky?" he chuckles. "There are kids in the house, what are you gonna say if they ask about them?" He shifts a bit to get more comfortable then yawns again. "It will also be on full display if we want to go into the water tomorrow."

"Yeah, if _you're_ lucky." Lance smirks. " **I** am rather proud of having such a hottie leaving marks all over me." He raises an eyebrow and grins. "If the kids ask, I say 'Oh Keith and I were play fighting and we got a bit too rough.' And they will be all "oooohhh we wanna fight too!" He grins more. "So yes, if you are lucky, I won't go around shirtless all day and be bragging about you."

Keith whines and curls up more. "Please wear a shirt tomorrow. I don't need the rest of your family smiling and smirking at us." He nuzzles further into Lance's neck and yawns again. "Man, guess I'm really tired now... We can definitely talk ore during our date. I want to hear more about what the garrison was like for you."

Lance nods. "No problem." He yawns in response to Keith's and nuzzles down. "Sleep well." And before long, he is asleep on Keith's chest but still smiling cutely.

"Good night," he whispers. Keith watches Lance for a few minutes before closes his eyes and drifting off to sleep himself.


	3. Chapter 3: First Date

**Chapter Three: First Date**

Keith is the first one to wake up. He slowly lifts himself up to rub his eyes. He smiles softly when he sees Lance still sleeping. He gently rubs a thumb over Lance's Altean marks.

Lance hums at the touch before fully waking then slowly opens his eyes. "Awww, I didn't get to watch you sleep." He whines playfully before stretching and leaning up to kiss him. "good morning."

Keith chuckles softly and parrots," Good morning." He sits up a little. "Are you ready for today?" He cracks his neck before stretching his back and legs.

"Beyond ready." Lance kisses Keith's neck then bites down into the soft spot between his neck and shoulder "And I didn't forget about our promise either." He whispers before nibbling up his neck.

"Lance," Keith gasps at the first bite, he hadn't expected it coming out of nowhere. He moans softly as Lance continues to leaves marks on him. He grips his boyfriend's shoulder to keep him from crashing down.

"You told me not to forget." He grins playfully then kisses Keith's cheek. "Should I stop?" Lance runs his hand through Keith's hair and hums. "I don't think I will ever get tired of playing with your hair."

Keith leans his head down so Lance can play with it more. "Not yet, don't stop," he answers. Honestly, he was going to offer just heading to breakfast but this feels amazing.

"Wonderful." Lance leans back down and licks down until he reaches Keith's chest and starts to bite while running his hand through his hair. "That's what I had hoped you would say." He sings while continuing to play.

His arms become shaky as Lance continues to lick and bite. He can feel his nipples harden as Lance nears them. "Lance," he moans softly as he rests his head down on the arm of the couch.

Looking up to make sure Keith is fine with him continuing, Lance hums happily when he sees his face. Deciding it would be far more fun to tease than anything, he gently kisses just above Keith's nipple and runs his hands down his abs. "I love when you say my name like that."

The kiss sends shivers down Keith's spine but it's not enough. He whines and tries to shift his body up, but Lance quickly grips his sides to hold him still. "Lance," he whines more. He wants it. Hoping to encourage Lance, he grinds down against him. "Please. Don't tease me."

"But it's fun." Lance grins and kisses along his chest. He waits a few seconds longer then bites down again. Once he pulls up, Lance kisses him again. "What do you want?" Asking quietly as he pushes against Keith and teasingly grinds back.

Keith lets out a gasp moan when Lance bites down suddenly. "Lance," He whines again when they pull away from the kiss. "Please, touch don't tease me." He presses his chest down against Lance as he grinds more. "Play with my chest," he begs both verbally and with his eyes.

Lance smiles and leans down to bite along Keith's chest before catching one of his nipples between his teeth and giving a breathy laugh. "Who knew I'd be able to get Keith to beg _me_ for something." He whispers in a voice that sounds oddly like a purr. When Keith grinds against him again, Lance lets out a gasping moan and digs his nails into Keith's hips. "God this feels so good."

Keith moans and arcs his back. Lance's teeth against his chest feels so intense. He groans as he feels nails digging into him. "Lance," he moans as he tries to grind harder.

Lance is shivering and finally starts to slow down. He kisses back up Keith's chest and finds his lips. When they separate, Lance asks breathlessly, "should...should we go further? I haven't...you know..." Despite asking, he has yet to stop grinding.

Keith bites his lip to muffle his moan. "D-do you want to? I won't force you." He grabs Lance's hip and separates the two of them so they can think with a clear mind. "It's ok if you don't want to," he says between light pants.

"I didn't say you were forcing me." He grabs Keith's hands and moves them away. "But I asked if _you_ wanted to." Lance kisses down Keith's chest to his abs. "Think of it as..." He hums and kisses more. "As a beginning to the date... _if_ you wanted it. I'm not exactly promising I'll be any good at any of it."

Keith has to debate between what Lance said last night vs now. He bites the inside of his lip and frowns. "Maybe next time, okay? Can't have us getting tired for our first date." He forces a smile and peeks Lance's cheek. This is the right thing to do. "Maybe tonight if you're still feeling it."

Lance nods and kisses Keith passionately. "Or deciding not to go at all." He agrees then runs his hands along Keith ones again. "You are amazingly sexy. Just saying." At that, he stretches and stands up. "Well, should we get ready for the day then?"

Keith blushes before throwing Lance a shirt. "What do you want to eat for breakfast?" He asks as he grabs the other shirt and starts putting it on.

Lance says nothing at first, only turning to smirk at Keith. "I didn't really have much for plans." He pulls on the shirt then hums and takes a deep breath. It smells like Keith and it is great. "But, I think you should pick because you are the one here for a more limited amount of time."

"Let's go out to eat then," Keith says once the finally has the shirt all the way on. He hadn't realized that it was oddly a little too big and strong smelt of Lance. Well, the scent he noticed but just assumed it was because of how close they were yesterday. "Maybe eat some pancakes before going to the beach?"

"Pancakes sound great." Lance grabs Keith and pulls him into another kiss, wrapping his hand around Keith's waist and pressing the two of them as close as possible. "Then we can go to the beach and I can show off my trophies." He chuckles.

Keith smiles into the kiss and wraps his arms around Lance's neck. "That sounds great," he says as he nuzzles into Lance's neck. "Then we could head to the aquarium. We'll probably each lunch there too." Just two more days left. He's so happy that they got together yesterday, means no more awkwardness or missed glances at each other.

Lance presses his forehead against Keith's hair and sighs happily. "I'm stupid excited to be going on a date. Like...you have no idea." He almost giggles then kisses him again. "Why did we wait so long?!" Asking as though keith would have a better answer. "I'm so freaking happy. "

Keith chuckles, he is happy that Lance is overly happy. "Then let's get going already. We gotta make sure we have enough time between meals to go from the beach to the aquarium." He assumes they are taking one of the family cars or public transportation. After allowing Lance one more kiss, he start leading out of the basement.

Lance kisses Keith's neck and grabs his hand tight before exiting. He nods and moves more excitedly. "I'll cook quick then we can go." Once out of the basement, Lance walks into the kitchen to see that the family is already cooking breakfast and it is nearly done.

"Oh look, the lover boys have returned at least." Lance's mom teases and Veronica nods. "Good thing we made food for them yeah?" She points to a plate of pancakes and the finishing bacon in one skillet while the other is full of scrambled eggs.

"Oh, thank you," Keith blushes. Guess there goes eating out for pancakes. That's okay. He sits down next to Lance and then finally notices what shirt he is wearing due to how it hugs his body. His blush darkens and he quickly looks down at himself. Of course he is wearing Lance's shirt. It's so odd, remembering that he is technically the taller one yet Lance's clothes are still big on him.

"Lance better be treating you good." Lance's mom playfully teases her son.

"And Keith better be doing the same in return." Veronica teases the other.

Lance just groans then shakes his head. "We are both doing quite well for each other. No need to worry mother." He grabs food for both he and Keith then places it in front of Keith before kissing Keith's forehead. "We will be out today by the way." Lance in forms his family. "Keith is taking me on a date!" Even in front of his family, Lance can't hide his excitement.

Keith kisses Lance's cheek in return as thanks. Guess there's no need to stop the affection even with almost everyone else around. "Of course I'll be the one paying for everything and I'll have him home by curfew." He lays his head on Lance's shoulder and smiles widely, hoping to make people laugh a little.

"Oh my heart." Lance's mom chuckles playfully then shakes her head. "Lance has no curfew my silly space boy." She sits down and sips her coffee. "But I am glad to hear you are taking good care."

Lance has started to eat quickly, as though afraid he will run out of time or something. Or maybe he's just too excited for the day. He has always wanted to go on a date and while he was sure he wanted to take someone else on a date, at least it's a date. Even while eating, he has a cute little smile and seems to be struggling to sit still.

Keith lifts his head off of Lance's shoulder and starts eating. He finds it funny she called hims a space boy. "Don't choke," he teases Lance when he realize how much more he has eaten. "You'll need to wait for me anyways." He then goes back to eating, but a little faster so he won't make Lance wait too long.

Lance smiles and nods then smirks and scoots in close. "Well if you end up wanting... a continuation of this morning I need to get use to having a mouthful right?" He whispers then takes another bite of his food and laughs at Keith's reaction.

Keith's entire face is red and mentally screaming. Not wanting the other people in the room to get suspicious, he starts shoving food into his mouth. He doesn't need his lust coming back. Would Lance's parents be upset if they knew what they were doing downstairs since this is their house?

Lance just chuckles as he eats and watches Keith with a smirk. "He's taking me to an aquarium and the beach!" He tells Veronica and his mom. "Does he know me well or what?" He wraps his arm around Keith's and kisses his cheek.

"Make sure to take lots of photos!" Veronica exclaims. "I want to see all of them when you get back."

"Don't be so pushy," Lance's mom scolds lightly. She then turns back to Lance and Keith. "At least send half of them, it would be so cute to have one in a frame." She also wants some for scrapbooking.

Lance smiles and nods. "We will. I want to cover my room in them too." He looks over to Keith and smiles softly. Resting his head on Keith's shoulder, Lance can't hide his looks of absolute love. "I love you Keith, you know that right?"

Keith's blush returns at the mental imagine of a bunch of pictures of them pinned to Lance's walls. He can't imagine how many pictures that would take. His heart skips a beat at those three words. "I love you too," he says softy, his eyes practically hearts as he nuzzles his boyfriend.

"They are so cute." Lance's mom looks so happy as she watches the two of them.  
"It is a nice change from the sad Lance we've been putting up with." Veronica whispers then clears her through then chuckles. "Especially since Lance has liked this poor boy for _years_ now."

Lance smiles and shrugs. "He knows that already now." He sticks his tongue out at Veronica then touches Keith's cheek and kisses him softly. "Well, did you want me to get dressed all nice first or do you just want to go?"

Keith chuckles softly. "I've had a crush on him for a while too," he says. It's only fair so Lance's isn't always blamed for not making the first move. "Should we dress up? We are going to the beach first." Honestly, it's more like dressing down if they wanted to be more location appropriate.

"We could pack a bag with nice clothes." Lance thinks back and a warm blush comes to his cheeks. "I bet you look absolutely amazing in a suit." He sighs thinking about it. Trying to hurry out, he quickly rinses off the dishes and pulls Keith toward his room. "And I get to see you all nice and wet." He playfully raises one eyebrow then smirks. "Today is going to be absolutely amazing."

Keith's blush returns ten folds. Suits only reminds him of Shiro's wedding and if they ever got married to each other... He definitely wants a red and blue wedding. "I don't think a suit would look normal at an aquarium unless you wanna go to a fancy dinner place." He won't even think about the two of them in swim trunks again.

"Can we do fancy diner and I pay?" Lance bounds around him excitedly. "I can call and make reservations at Hunk's place and we can surprise him coming in together. Just imagine his face. Oh man it would be great." He kisses him and laughs. "Plus getting to see you in a suit is worth it. Guaranteed." Once they reach his room, Lance pulls out swim trunks and pulls off his shirt. "Oh heads up, this is my shirt now."

Keith smiles and listens as Lance rambles off. "You call, I pay," he corrects. He is't going to let Lance pay for a single thing today. His mom probably put far more money than needed. "What? Hey, that's mine." Lance probably already has a bunch of different styled shirts anyways. "Then I'm keeping this one." Keith clenches onto the shirt he is wearing tightly.

"I don't get to pay for anything?" He pouts and pulls Keith close, holding his hips against his while pressing his forehead against his. "That feels so unfair though. I'll have to do something to make it up for you then." After giving a gentle kiss, Lance smiles. "I'd hoped you would, honestly. But really, I would have fought you for this one so yeah...I win."

Keith playfully rolls his eyes. "Fine, you win this one, but I'm still paying for the whole date. You can pay for the next one so long as you plan it." He rubs his nose against Lance's. "Can't let either of our moms down." He kisses Lance and his smile grows. "I'll let you know ahead of time the next time I'm able to come visit."

"Deal." Lance is melting in Keith's arms. He loves this smiles so much. "I'll think of something perfectly over the top for you. how's that sound." With a cute grin, Lance runs his fingers through Keith's hair and admires him for a bit. "I really love you, Keith. And, I'm sorry if it gets annoying but it just...feels really good to say it."

Keith closes his eyes and purrs softly. "I love you too, Lance. I think I'll be more upset if you ever stop saying it all the time." He nuzzles Lance's arm. "Also, I'll need to borrow more clothes. I hadn't actually planned to go swimming and to fancy diner. I hope that isn't too much to ask."

"Totally not too much to ask." He watches Keith for a minute, still running his fingers through his hair then can't help but kiss him passionately again. As he does, Lance pushes him back onto the bed and climbs on top of him as he continues the kiss. "I love you." He interrupts the kiss for just a second then continues until he feels himself becoming breathless. "Clothes for Keith, coming right up." Though breathless, he is teasing and smiling brilliantly.

Keith is shocked by the suddenness of all this, but he quickly melts into the kiss. He is left on the bed, panting for air. "Love you too," he says softly. Not having the energy to get up, he stays laying down as he watches Lance dig for more clothes. It's a very nice view. He can't help but imagine what this would be like when they have their own place.

Lance pulls out a nice black suit with a red tie and turns to smile at Keith. He gives him the warmest smile before sliding back onto the bed and kissing Keith again. "You're daydreaming." He says quietly before humming and handing him a pair of swim trunks. "What about I wonder."

"About our future," Keith responds with a soft smile. He takes the swim trunks and slowly sit up. "Thanks." He gives Lance a peck on the cheek. "Do we have everything we need for our date?"

When those words exit Keith's lips, Lance is certain his heart has stopped. Keith is thinking about their future and in doing so is _smiling_... "I still really hope that you are my future." He runs a hand through Keith's hair and smiles. Being cheesy, as per the norm, Lance kisses Keith then grins more. "I have you, it's all I need."

Keith smiles more than thinks back to the weird game show thing they were forced to be a part of. "Do you remember the first time you called me the future? On that game show things?" He waits for Lance to nod. "I actually picked you because I knew how badly you wanted to get back home. Being stuck there for eternity would have probably affected you the most."

Lance's eyebrows go up and his smile goes softer still. "And here I thought you were just being an asshole." He chuckles then climbs on top of him again. "I almost said a lot more than I meant to when I picked you. But...I caught myself and just called you the future." He runs a hand along Keith's face, trailing his fingers with his eyes. "In my head, all I could think was how I wanted you to be _my_ future." He pauses and pouts. "But that show pissed me off. All that happened was the asshole bob made fun of me and almost killed me."

"I agree. I didn't like how he called you the stupid one but I didn't want anything else proofing on me. I'm surprised no one else said anything." Keith lifts his hand to cup Lance's cheek. "You may not be as smart as Pidge but you're not actually stupid." He gently guides Lance down for another kiss. "And I'll always be your future if that's what you want."

"Honestly i was kinda use to it by that point but, it was annoying to have it said like that to...so many people." Lance closes his eyes and snuggles into Keith's touch with a sigh. After the kiss, his eyes are watering. "You gotta stop saying things like that or I'm going to believe you." He says playfully before laying done on Keith again. "But, I really...really meant it. I really see you as my future."

Keith smiles softly and kisses his forehead. "I see you as my future too." He then wipes away the tears. "Now come on, you gotta show me your treasures before lunch comes around." They've had enough sad memories come up. "I don't wanna make the end of our date feel rushed. Oh, you still need to call."

"Oh right! Let me go call. Go ahead and change into the swim trunks. I'll get the bike around." He swipes up his phone, the suits and towels then starts looking up a number. Before he exits the room, Lance quickly turns and give Keith a kiss on his cheek. Lance makes the call then pulls out his hover motorcycle and gets helmets together. From there, he waits for Keith to join him outside while folding everything and putting it into the bike's storage compartments.

"Bike?" Keith parrots to himself. Since when did Lance have a bike? He quickly puts on the swim trunks and brings his pants with him as he goes to meet Lance outside. He is shocked to see a hover bike, almost exactly like the one he used back when he first met the garrison trio. "When did you get one if these?"

Lance shrugs and smiles. "A while back. Upgrade from my old hoverboard. And faster so it reminds me of flying red." He chuckles then tosses Keith a helmet."Mom hates it. Dangerous and whatnot. But Every time she complains I just argue it's much safer than being a paladin was." When Lance notices the look on Keith's face, Lance walks over and kisses the side of his head. "You like it?" As he takes the clothes from Keith and puts them with the rest.

"Like it? I love it! You know I used to have one of my own." Keith brushes his hand across the side. "You look amazing next to it." He kisses Lance's cheek. "At least this time, we aren't flying off a cliff to run away from the garrison." Would Lance like to learn the trick? Though, the cliff might not be there anymore.

Lance laughs and nods. "I ride it all the time anymore. It's my go to "thrill ride" quite literally." Giving Keith a grin, Lance hops on. "I'm driving so hop on." He is glowing with how happy he is.

Keith puts on his helmet and gets on behind Lance. He wraps his arms around the other man's waist leans up against his back. Thinking about it now, he had _no_ safety precautions back then, Shiro is a bad influence.

Lance _really_ likes the feeling of Keith wrapped around him and hums happily before kicking the bike into gear and speeding off toward the beach. He knows Keith is probably even more of a speed freak than he is so he isn't worried about making him panic. Instead, he just wants to have some fun and speed from one place to the next as fast as he can. "Aquarium after beech right?" He calls back.

"Yeah," Keith says loud enough for Lance to hear. He wishes he could feel the wind in his hair right now, maybe on their way to the aquarium. "I love you," he says somewhat quietly as he hugs Lance tighter.

Lance nods then takes off in the correct direction and gets them there as fast as he can. Once there he slides into a spot then leans back against Keith. "I know I'm no you," he starts while removing his helmet, " but i like to think my piloting skills improved.

Keith takes off his helmet and smirks, "I think it's all thanks to Red. It's just easier to learn when all you have is your instincts." Plus being able to pilot something so fast just makes everything else seem so easy. It was frustrating getting used to how much slower Black was. "One of these days, we'll need to test who is the better pilot now."

Lance raises an eyebrow and shrugs. "I dunno." He smirks as he looks back at Keith. "Think you would do ok losing?" Teasing as he pulls Keith in for a hug, Lance laughs a bit.

Keith can't stop a few chuckles from leaving him. "No because it won't be me losing." He trails a finger down Lance's spine lightly. "In the air, no one can beat me." Their faces are so close, their noses are centimeters from touching.

"I dunno." Lance shivers at the touch and smiles. "Someone I know just hands out food anymore. It's not very badass he says." He gives Keith an eskimo kiss and smiles happily. "I wonder what the winner would get..."

Keith hums. "I think we'll need to think of something for that." He gives Lance a quick kiss. "We should focus on today first. What do you want to do first here?"

"I want to..." He pushes quickly away and runs toward the dive area. "Beat you to swimming!" He tears off his shirt and darts away.

"Lance!" Keith calls. He throws his shirt off before bolting. He stumbles a bit on the sand but he almost catches up to Lance. There was too much of a head start and not enough distance for him to catch up. "That's cheating," he says once he can elbow Lance.

Lance chuckles then dives in. When he surfaces, Lance laughs. "But we both win in the end. I get to see you all wet and gorgeous."

Keith blushes. "Being wet doesn't make me look any different," he says before jumping in. He resurfaces with a lot of hair in his face, so he wipes his head to try to move them.

Lance watches him with hooded eyes. "I beg to differ." He purrs then swims over and pulls Keith close. "I've always thought you were sexy wet or sweating." He grins then bites his lower lip. "It's why I use to watch you train."

Keith blushes and hides his face in Lance's shoulder. "Not because you were trying to figure out my weakness?" He teases, remember Lance's excuse the first time he asked.

"Yeah not because that." Lance smirks and kisses Keith's cheek before sliding under the water and swimming away. "Well you gonna swim or just stay red faced?!"

"I only know the basics," Keith says before swimming over to Lance. He has to push the hair out of his face again when he stops.

Lance leans in and kisses him. "You only need to know the basics to have a good time right?" He swims under the water and comes up behind Keith, careful to run his hands up him as he does. "Still fun right?"

Shivers fallow Lance's hand and it makes it a little harder to keep afloat. "Yeah, though, you said you wanted to show me something here?" Keith turns around and hugs Lance.

"I did?" Lance tilts his head and thinks back. "I just like the beach." He hugs Keith back and kisses his neck before pulling back and splashing him with a huge grin. "Maybe i wanted to show you that?" He teases before darting under the water to avoid a counter attack.

Keith gasps at the sudden splash. "Coward!" He calls and tries to predict where Lance will resurface. When Lance does resurface, Keith allows him to breath in for a second before splashing him.

Lance laughs happily then swims toward the shore. "I have to build something." He hurries out of the water and starts to build the sloppiest looking sandcastle ever. "You thought I had to show you something...well, give me a bit and I'll show you the best thing I can." He speaks while building and his face holds the most brilliant of smiles despite the castle looking...lackluster at best.

Keith raises an eyebrow and slowly approaches. "What is it?" He asks as he examines the sad looking sand castle. "I thought you said you had trophies to show off." Maybe his wording was the problem?

"Oh those?" Lance spreads his arms and touches one of the bruises that had formed from Keith the night before. "That's one," he touches another, "and this is one," He looks back to Keith and smiles. "But this." he points to the sad sandcastle with a huge hole in the middle. "This is magic. Come here, you have to look through the hole. Here let me get out of the way." He walks away and watches for Keith to look through. "It shows you the future." Carefully placing himself, Lance kneels down and smiles.

Keith blushes. He hadn't realized Lance was serious of wanting to show it off. He gets a little self conscious of the ones on himself. "A magic peep hole to the future?" Keith asks teasing as he gets down to look through the hole. His heart flutters when he sees Lance. "I like this future." It kind of hurts with how touched he is.

Lance smiles and charges into Keith, destroying the castle in the process as he laughs. "I had hoped you might." He grins as the two of them hit the ground. Once they do, Lance kisses him and runs his hand through his hair. "Did you want to go back to swimming? Or would you rather interact with your future?"

Keith quickly turns his head away to prevent sand from getting into his face. He hardly has any time to reopen his eyes before the kiss. "I would much rather interact with you." He combs a hand through Lance's hair. "We also need time to at least rinse off. I don't think the aquarium wants us bringing the beach to them," he chuckles.

"I mean, we can just dive into the water to rinse off but whatever you want to do is ultimately up to you, remember?" Lance kisses him again. "I seriously love you." He whispers then lets out a long sigh. "It's so weird to think still...that I'm actually with you at last."

"I seriously love you too," Keith says and cups Lance's cheek. "I would rather take an actual shower, if there is one here." He kisses Lance. "Weird in a good way, right?" He asks with a smirk before pushing Lance down onto the sand. "Because you're not getting rid of me easily."

Lance laughs then nods. "Yes. Weird in a good way." He agrees before being pushed down. "Hey. Rude!" Despite his words, Lance laughs hardily then stands up and grabs Keith's hand. "Real showers this way. Come on." He then leads Keith toward the smaller shower stalls.

Keith holds Lance's hand tightly. Maybe next later, but he'll ask for a photo like this. "Wait, really quickly, let's take a picture here for your family." He pulls Lance back a bit.

"Oh right!" Lance hurries back and grabs his phone before angling it so they are both in the picture. He takes a couple of cute, serious ones then kisses Keith's cheek in the next. "Quick shower then onto the aquarium?" He asks while putting the phone back and grabbing them the clothes and towels.

In the last one, Keith is probably wide eyed. "Yeah," he says and nuzzles Lance's cheek. "Are you excited for the aquarium? I know we didn't spend much time here but I'm excited."

Lance wraps his arm around Keith's and nods. "I am. But I honestly think I'm more excited to be _on a date_ than anything. Even more so to be on a date with _Keith_." He laughs and rubs the back of his head. "But I do love aquariums. Something about them is so peaceful."

Keith blushes and lightly nudges Lance. "I've only been to an aquarium once before we ended up in space," he says," I remember the big attractions were the penguins, dolphins, and whales. Think they'll still have those shows?"

Lance smiles and pulls Keith closer as they enter the small building of shower stalls and bathrooms. "Only once? Geez who knew I was going to have to beat Shiro up for that?" He puts the clothes in one of the lockers then smiles. "I hope so. Penguins are so cute!" Laughing, Lance pulls Keith in for a hug. "But I can't wait to see everything else too."

Keith hugs back and rests his head on Lance's shoulder. "It's not Shiro's fault. He was pretty busy by the time I met him." And it's not like he ever asked to go either. He sees some sand still in Lance's hair so he combs them out. "We should hurry and set under the shower."

"Eh, still gives me a reason to fight your first crush!" Lance teases before kissing Keith's cheek. "Together?" Lance asks despite the bit of blush. "We, probably a bad idea. We would never stick to schedule that way...right?"

Keith huffs and exaggerates a pout at the first comment. He doesn't need the awkwardness between him and Shiro to come back. He then blushes at what Lance is implying. "I guess you're right. You go first, I want to check something real quick." He pecks Lance's cheek quickly.

Lance smiles and nods. "Checking something?" He snickers then grabs one of the towels and walks away. Once in the water he calls, "if the thing you are checking is me out i wanna do the same to you."

Keith doesn't deny that he loves seeing Lance in full but that isn't it. He goes over to the mirror above the sink to check himself. He forgot to check to make sure nothing changed after shifting last night. Not seeing any noticeable changes, he goes to the stall next to Lance's and showers.

Lance gets changed as quickly as he can and cleans up. He dressed nice, as he said he would, casual classy. Dress shirt and vest with a nice tie, navy blue as the theme. He is making his hair look manageable when Keith comes that way. "Hope it looks alright for you?"

Keith walks over to Lance dressed up in the clothes Lance brought for him. It's pretty much the same thing as what Lance is wearing but red. "We're going to stand out at the aquarium," he laughs. He places his towel on top of Lance's before giving the man a quick kiss. "Though we probably stand out just being ourselves."

"Eh, I've always had a thing for standing out anyway." He smiles and shrugs before humming and pouting for a better kiss. "And at least we will look appropriate in the restaurant that I still want to pay for."

"Nope," Keith pops the p. "I'm paying for this entire date." He gently takes Lance's hand in his and gives a slightly longer kiss. "Got everything ready to go?"

"Fiiine." Lance melts into the kiss, wrapping his arm around Keith as they kiss. When the pull away, Lance sighs. "Everything is wrapped up and ready." He hugs Keith and gives him a soft, sweet smile. "And the most important part is right here, right samurai?"

"Of course, sharpshooter." Keith brushes his nose against Lance's then starts tugging him back to the hover bike. "How far away is the aquarium from here?"

"Only on the other side of town." Lance hip checks Keith and smiles. "Worried about spending too much time with me?" He asks playfully then reaches the bike and starts putting the clothes into storage.

"I wanted to see if it would be okay to not wear my helmet." He would never worry about spending too much time with Lance. Once Lance is one the bike, he climbs on after. "Think any cops will actually pull us over?"

"Nope. I really don't think so. I don't think it's actually law anyway." Lance decides not to put his on either. He starts up the bike and smiles over his shoulder at Keith. "Off we go?"

"Off we go," Keith parrots and rests his head against Lance's shoulder blade. As Lance starts to drive, he closed his eyes and enjoys the feeling of the rushing wind. His arms around Lance's waist tightens slightly as he nuzzles the man.

Lance speeds away, loving the feeling of Keith wrapped around him even more than he did last time somehow. He speeds through town in a way that says it is not the first time by any means. Once outside the aquarium he parks then flips around to face Keith. His smile is brilliant as he wraps his arms around Keith and kisses his neck. "How did I manage to get so lucky."

Keith chuckles happily and moves his head out of the way for Lance. "Just as I managed to be so lucky." He kisses Lance's forehead before the two of them climb off the bike. "What do you want to see first?" He asks as he intertwines his hand with Lance's. Outside the aquarium is advertisement for their main attractions.

Lance looks around and his eyes are bright. "Why not start at the beginning and go from there?" He snuggles close as they enter the building. "Is there anything you want to see here?"

Keith hums as he looks around. "Let's start off with fish that are native here," he says as he points to the tank full or Earth fish. It's a little odd seeing so many different types of aliens here.

Lance nods and bounds over to that tank. He admires all the fish, telling Keith a couple of fun facts about ones Keith hadn't seen before while cuddling close into him. "Hey!" He points to a nearby tank at one of the space mermaids and waves. "I thought they might work here!"

Keith clings onto Lance's arm the entire time. It's what most couples do, right? "Oh wow," he mumbles as he watches the space mermaid do a trick. He then sees a promotional poster on the wall for their mermaid show. "Do you want to watch their show later? Maybe they'll call you to be a participant for something."

Lance glances to Keith more than he does to most of the sea creatures then grin and sighs. "Could be fun so long as it isn't during the reservation." He nods then steals a kiss before walking past the mermaids and waving to them. "I may not be paying for dinner but I still don't want to miss it."

Keith kisses Lance's cheek. "If we can't make the show today, we can always come again for another date." He waves to the mermaids before they walk on to the next tank. The animals inside the tank start looking more and more alien like as they go. "Look at that one!" Keith exclaims and rushes over to the tank with an alien tiger fish.

Lance hurries over with Keith and admires the bizarre looking fish. "Another date. My god." He hums happily and nods. "I like that idea for sure." When he sees the brilliant smile on Keith's face, the amazement of the fish quickly vanishes as he sighs and wishes he could have seen this smile for ages but doesn't say a word as he doesn't want to interrupt Keith.

Keith's eyes light up more when the fish swims up to him. "It looks so cool." As if hearing the compliment, the fish puffs up a little. An dragon eel looking creature swims by in the back which catches Keith's attention. "Look back there!" He points.

Lance nods and smiles sweetly toward Keith before looking back to the creature he's pointing at. It's unreal to see Keith so...light and happy. While the creature _is_ flipping cool, Lance is still more enthralled by Keith at the moment, wanting to soak up every minute before he leaves again. "Oh yeah, pretty flippin cool."

"We should take a picture," Keith says and pulls out his own phone. He takes a few photos of just the fish before taking a step back and looking at Lance. "Smile," he says and lifts his phone up to his face.

"Easy to do when I'm with you." Lance says cheesily before smiling toward the phone. Once the photo is taken he kisses Keith's cheek then starts to walk further through the aquarium. "So you leave...tomorrow right?" There's no hiding that he is sad.

Keith frowns. "I mean... Technically I'm supposed to go tomorrow, but I can stay for another whole day." He nuzzles Lance. "Don't think about it right now, just have fun." He takes Lance's hand and kisses the back of it. "I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."

Lance melts at Keith's response and smiles warmly before nodding. "You're right." He nods then pushes his hand up the back of Keith's neck and buries it in his hair before kissing him and humming at how happy it makes him. When he pulls away, Lance grips Keith's hand tight. "It seems so crazy to look back at everything we've been through. Like...man, times have changed so much." Looking around, Lance chuckles. "I mean, who ever imagined ten years ago that we would have aquariums ran by mermaids as a regular part of town? I know I didn't!"

Keith chuckled. "It's hard enough to believe that the war is over." He sighs happily as he presses himself closer to Lance. Looking back at everything that happened, it's so calm just standing here like this. He slowly opens his eyes again. When did they close? "I love you," he whispers.

Lance feels shivers run down his spine as Keith whispers. "Love you too." He hums then runs his hand through the hair above Keith's ear. "Should we head to the restaurant?" His voice is still quiet as he doesn't want to separate from Keith but knows if they are to make a dinner reservation that can't too horribly long. "Then we can go home and not separate the rest of the night."

"It's time for dinner already?" Keith whines. He wants to see more of the aquarium. Lance is so pretty under the blue light here. "Let's at least quickly go all the way through." He also wants to go to the gift shop so that he can have something to bring back to the base.

"I more so just meant we should make sure not to get too distracted anymore." Lance leans in and kisses Keith's cheek before adding, "not that I find that an easy feat with you around." Before grabbing his hand and leading him toward the underwater tunnel.

"It's not an easy feat in general," Keith says as he tries not to get too excited by the water tunnel. He sticks close to Lance and he even smiles for the selfies he takes. "Has your family been here yet?"

"They have actually." Lance nods and smiles over to Keith as they walk through to an area with some creatures that look like an odd mix of jellyfish and manta rays that glow. Even he gets distracted by how pretty they are and lets out a quiet gasp. "The first visit they thought I would know what all of the alien animals were."

While Lance is distracted, he takes his phone out and takes a photo of Lance watching the glowing creature. He chuckles lightly at the story. "We hardly got to see any. What did you say every time they asked?"

"Told them I had no idea! We were too busy to go sightseeing." Lance doesn't realize Keith even took a picture. He looks over to Keith and sighs. "I told them I knew the mermaids though and that's how I ended up figuring out so many of them." He cuddles Keith close and offers a kiss before wrapping his hands around him and humming.

Keith smiles softly into the kiss. Their lucky no one has complained about their PDA. "I'm surprised you don't want to take so many selfies now," he comments. He would have expected Lance to have wanted a billion selfies while they were on their date.

"It's tough because while I want to, I also want to just...be with you." Lance runs his hand back through keith's hair and smiles at him. "Should I take more of them?" He grins then scoots over as someone comes up. "Maybe first we should move hm?"

Keith hadn't realized they stopped moving in the middle of the walkway. "Let's take one over there," he says, pointing to the bronze octopus statue. "I just like having pictures to look back to." Maybe they could make it some sort of ritual.

Lance smiles warmly and nods before scooting close to Keith and kissing his cheek. "I like it too." He hums. "It will remind me this is real when you are gone again."  
They take the picture then continue on through the aquarium, pausing for different displays before finally reaching the gift shop. "Are you really buying me something? This date is more than enough!"

"Of course I'm going to buy you something," Keith says and kisses Lance's cheek. "Gotta have something else that shows that date really happened." Most of the stuff animals are near the entrance. He chuckles when he sees a pile of out of place plushies. "These animals aren't in the aquarium," he says as he picks up a hippo and a cat plushie.

Lance pouts a bit. "I mean, we have been taking pictures all day." He sighs and nuzzles against Keith. "I don't need more from you. I really don't." But when he sees the adorable cat plushy, Lance awes out loud. "Ok, but that's adorable. Can I buy you the hippo at least?"

Keith pouts and presses his nose against Lance's cheek. "Fine, but only the hippo." He hands over the bigger plushie. Looking over to the cashiers, the line looks long. "You go ahead and get in line first, I'll catch up in a second." He wants to look around a bit more.

Lance gives Keith a look of "if you say so" but doesn't argue. At least he won being able to buy Keith _something_. He waits in line and hugs the hippo with a smile. It is soft and oddly adorable. Trying to see whatever Keith is doing, Lance looks back and forth but doesn't yet spy him.

Keith weaves through the people still looking around as he scans over all that the store has. He doesn't stop until he sees something perfect. It's a light blue picture frame with dolphins. He smiles softly as he gently picks it up. He then goes into the back of the cashier line. He isn't too far behind Lance but hopefully he wasn't spotted.

Lance has given up on finding Keith. He assumes he is getting something for him which makes him pout as he pays for the hippo but walks back to the door while hugging it anyway. "It's cute at least." Saying with a smile, Lance looks to the stuffed hippo rather than anything else.

Keith quickly walks up to Lance once he us done paying. "Not as cute as you," he says as he pecks Lance's cheek. He holds up the cat plushie for Lance to take.

Lance blushes before playfully shoving Keith. He then shakes his head. "No, you hold it." Biting his lower lip and looking down, Lance swallows before saying, "that way it can smell like you."

Keith can't help the growing smile as he nuzzles Lance. He holds the cat to his chest. "Does Hunk know we are coming together?" He asks as they start walking out. He does his best to make sure his bag doesn't swing, being overly careful of it.

Lance shakes his head. "I thought it would be more fun to surprise him." He chuckles then wraps his arm around Keith's. "Do you think he will be surprised or excited? Maybe both?" Scooting close to Keith so he can nuzzle into Keith's hair, Lance sighs happily. "Good time so far?"

"I think both," Keith answers," And I'm having the best day of my life so far." He kisses Lance's cheek right before they reach the hover bike. Not wanting Lance to figure out what's in his bag yet, he quickly puts it into the storage area in between all the clothes.

Lance smiles happily. Sure it's only been a couple of days, but he isn't sure he will ever get use to the butterflies in his stomach from those kisses. "You are probably right. I'm sure he is waiting for it at this point." Lance hops up onto the bike then hands Keith the hippo. "Make sure to keep him safe too!"

"Of course. You got him for me," Keith says as he climbs on. He squishes the two plushies between their bodies. Wrapping his arms around Lance, he nuzzles into the crook of his neck.

Lance sits still for a second, enjoying the closeness. After he is positive Keith is good, Lance speeds away toward the restaurant. He goes fast, but not as fast as he worries about the stuffed animals falling. Once they arrive, Lance hops down and stores the stuffed animals safely before turning and fixing Keith's hair. "You look amazing." He speaks softly.

Keith hums softly at being pampered. "You look amazing too," he says softly as he slowly opens his eyes. He lifts his hand up to comb through Lance's hair, putting a few strands back into place. "So stunning." Pulling Lance closer, he gives a long soft kiss.

Lance basically purrs at the kiss and hugs Keith close before sighing and running a hand up Keith's back. When they separate, Lance takes a deep breath then kisses Keith's nose and giggles. "I'll have to figure out a way to pamper you later to make up for this absolutely amazing day."

"I don't need anything in return," Keith argues but nuzzles his nose against Lance's. "I had an amazing day too. I got to spend it all with you." He presses their foreheads together and soaks in the closeness.

"But I _want_ to do something for you." Lance smiles and kisses Keith's forehead. He hugs Keith then moves to walk Keith inside. "But for now, we should go inside and enjoy some of Hunk's food hm?"

"Yeah." Keith holds Lance's hand as they enter the building. Just from the entrance, it's fancy but also feels comfortable like a family restaurant. "This place is amazing." His attention is quickly directed to the worker approaching them.

"Well of course, Hunk is the best around." Lance states proudly. As they are lead to their seats, he excitedly grabs Keith's hand and smiles like a giddy child. "We get to have Hunk's food again!'

Keith smiles softly. "Are we able to request him to bring out the food for us or do they just already know?" He would love to see the guy again. He also wants to see his reaction.

Lance touches his chin. "I suppose we would probably have to ask." He reaches over and grabs Keith's hand. "I would love to see him again also." Grinning, he leans his head on his other hand, waiting for the server to come over as he admires Keith.

Keith grips Lance's hand tightly and smiles widely. It shrinks back down to normal size as he stares into Lance's eyes. After a little bit, he blushes with how long Lance goes without moving. Despite feeling embarrassed, he is sad when the server does come.

"May I take your order?" the server asks, notepad and pen already out.

Lance orders for both of them, swearing up and down that Keith will love the meal. Once it's ordered, Lance leans in and asks for Hunk to bring the meals out, assuring Hunk would be thrilled to see them. Of course, once the server realizes who they are, they quickly nod and hurry away. Once they are alone again, Lance looks back to Keith and chuckles. "It's cute how easy you blush."

Of course that makes Keith blush even more. He uses his other hand to cover the bottom half of his face. "It's because it's you," he mumbles as he looks down at their still interlocked hands. "I'm not really used to being the center of attention like this."

"You use to be the black paladin." Lance laughs a bit then shakes his head. "You were literally the center of attention there!" He rubs his thumb along Keith's hand and laughs. "But I guess I won't complain."

Keith pouts behind his hand. "But that's different. You're staring at me with love and affection." He can feel his cheeks becoming warmer. "That's nothing like the attention of a bunch of faces I can't fully see."

"So you're good with attention just not affection then." Lance teases before pulling Keith's hands to his lips. "Better get used to it then. I'm a bit needy." He laughs then turns when he hears Hunk barreling up to the table with their appetizers.

"No. Way." Hunk says when he sees the locked hands. "Did you finally tell him Lance?! I'm so happy for you!" He grabs Lance in a hug then hurries to the other size and hugs Keith. "Both of you. You guys deserve it!"

Keith chuckles. The way he is being hugged, he isn't able to hug back. "Thanks Hunk." He smiles at the big guy. "How maddening was it to hear Lance gush about me all the time back at the garrison?"

"Oh my god it was _all the time_." Hunk laughs and takes a seat. When we all ended up paladins I thought for sure you two would end up together in no time." He sits his arms on the table and rests his head on his hands. "But its nice to see the yin and yang have finally found one another. Took long enough."

Lance blushes. "Was it really all the time?"

" _ **All the time**_ Lance. Yes."

Keith laughs then brings Lance's hand up to his lips. "Sounds like it was definitely maddening." He smirks at Lance. "Yin yang? Whose came up with that one?" He likes it because they really are opposites. In almost every single way.

"I did. I mean, you two have always been yin and yang. Even the lions knew that. Fire and ice? I mean come on." He watches them interact and gets even more happy. "So cute! Alright, I am gonna get back to work, you two enjoy your date."

Lance is just blushing by the time Hunk leaves. He looks over to Keith and sigh as he snacks on the appetizer. "Food good?"

"Hunk made it, of course it's good," Keith says before starting to eat. It is amazing! He rubs his thumb in circles across Lance's skin, giving a close eyed smile.

Lance just laughs and nods then goes back to eating. He watches Keith's hand, adoring the feeling so much so that he gets lost in his head. Snapping himself out of it, Lance looks back to Keith and smiles. "Movie when we get home? Or better plans?"

Keith hums in thought. He hadn't planned for anything after this other than cuddling with Lance. "We can watch a movie. What genre do you want to watch this time?" Picking up his glass of water, he gulps down about a fourth of it.

"Something not too interesting." Lance chuckles and eats a few more bites. "I just know I will be distracted. I can watch movies anytime." He looks down and swallows hard. "It's so weird. Like, feeling like this and knowing it's reciprocated."

Keith brings Lance's hand to his lips again. "I assure you, it's weirder for me than it is for you." He was preparing to drop his feelings the moment Lance started dating Allura. From the very beginning, he never truly believed he had that big of a chance.

Lance just raises an eyebrow. "How so?" He leans on his free arm. "I mean, from as far back as I can remember, you were never the most inviting guy ever. Add to my relentless teasing of you because I...well i didn't know what else to do," he laughs once, "kinda didn't see my chances as existent."

Keith chuckles. "I also didn't think my chance existed." He smiles softly at their interlocked hands. "And this is my first ever relationship." He wants to memorize the softness of Lance's hand. "You flirted with everyone, got together with Allura... I was almost ready to give up and move on."

"Allura was my first so its not exactly like I'm well versed either!" Lance pouts before reaching across the smaller table to brush some of Keith's hair out of his face while offering a smile. "But I've always been a flirt so that much is true." Speaking as he brushes the hair behind Keith's ear, Lance sighs once it's in place. "But, you were my first love."

Keith's heart skips a beat. His face becomes red as he tries to hide himself in Lance's hand. Lance is so unbelievably smooth. "How many crushes did you have before me?" He asks, needing the topic not to be himself. It's also the first thing that came to mind.

Lance smiles at flustered Keith then laughs. "Crushes before early high school?" He taps his lip and thinks about it. "I think I had a crush on this girl back in kindergarten. She always wore a cute dress and bows. I think like...everyone had a crush on her." He laughs. "And then there was this one kid, was never sure of their gender. They were in a few grades above me and just had that total badass vibe. Call me biased, but I've always had a thing for bad boys." He winks then watches as the main meals are brought over.

Keith covers his face again. He was definitely more edgy and the trouble maker than a bad boy. "Other than Shiro, I did have some interest in an typical emo looking kid back in middle school. Wasn't really a crush since we were only in the same school for about a week."

"Crushes don't have time limits silly." Lance chuckles then starts to eat and hums in joy. God its so good. "So...technically...we both had two crushes before each other right?" He grins. "Then we fell hard." He winks playfully.

Keith's blush returns darkened than before. "Sure, if you wanna call it a crush." He drinks another fourth of his water before eating more. "Think you'll have room for dessert after this?"

"I was already planning to have something sweet tonight." He winks at Keith again, laughing as he manages to blush more. "But honestly not sure i have room for more after all this."

Keith hums and nods. "Think we should ask for baked desserts to bring back to the house? I think the kids would love it." He squeezes Lance's hand before releasing and cracking his wrist and fingers.

"You trying to win my family over or something?" Lance smirks as he leans back and puts his hands behind his head. "They are all suckers for his pineapple upside down cake so if you want, I would order that."

"I'm not _trying_ to win them over, I just thought they would like something in return for letting me take you away." Keith takes his hand off the table and scratches his head. "Plus, they already love me," He smiles.

"Yeah, runs in the family." Lance grins and watches Keith's reaction with a chuckle. "Some just love you more than others."

Keith hides his face again. "I think what really runs in the family is loving Galras." He starts using his left hand to eat so he can keep his cheeks hidden.

"Just the cute ones." Lance winks then leans in and kisses Keith's cheek. "But I have a real thing for Half Galra's named Keith. I dunno it's kinda weird." He shrugs playfully.

"Lance," Keith whines as his blush darkens more. He reaches out his hand for Lance to grab again. "When did you learn to be so good with flirting?" He doesn't remember Lance being this good with random female aliens they ran into.

"What?" He says dramatically while waving a hand. "It helps when you know the person half your life." Lance chuckles and grabs his hand, just in time for Hunk to come up again.

"Oh man. Never thought I'd see Keith this red!" He puts a box down. "For the kids." Hunk elbows Keith playfully. "Don't forget to breathe." He teases.

Keith rubs his face, hopefully giving enough time for his face to cool down. He clenches Lance's hand tightly for a second. "Thanks Hunk, do you mind if we have some of your cookie and pastries to go too?"

"Awww, Lance isn't sweet enough for you?" Hunk laughs when both of them blush. "Kidding. Kidding. Yeah I'll bring it out for you in a minute. Oh yeah and don't be expecting a bill. Paladins don't pay here!" He is then gone, heading back into the kitchen with a laugh.

"He always was a good wingman." Lance chuckles.

"If anything, you're more savory than sweet," Keith says then licks his lips. He spots one of the hickies a peaking out from under Lance's shirt. "My Galran side just couldn't hold back from having you all at once."

"I might've liked it more than I let on too." Lance whispers with red tinted cheeks. "I'm..." He looks down and offers a nervous smile. "I'm just afraid of...well it's silly." Lance meets Keith's eyes. "If either side of you wants all of me later, consider me taken." He bites his lower lip and blushes.

Keith purrs loudly. He pulls Lance's hand back to his face so he can nuzzle it. "I love you so much." His heart is souring. Lance accepts all of him and wants more. "We can take it as slowly as you want." Even if Lance backs out in the middle, he won't mind.

Lance smiles and nods. "I love you too." He melts when Keith kisses him then shakes his head. "Don't you think we kinda took it slow enough already?" Half joking, Lance scoots closer and bites his lower lip before taking a deep breath. "I have, uh, been kinda thinking about it all day."

Keith's eyes widen. "You have?" He thought Lance would want to wait longer. "Are you sure? I really don't want you to force yourself." He rubs his thumb in circles on Lance's skin.

"You...you're really hot, ok? And you biting me...it was a huge turn on." Lance is speaking quietly. "And I want to...do something for today."

"I guess we know what we're doing once we get back to your house." Keith finishes off his plate and water. "Do you know if you're a top or bottom?" He doesn't know Lance's fantasies. "Or maybe both?"

Lance just blushes and shakes his head. "I mean, I haven't...you know done any of it?" He blushes and bites his lower lip. "But I _can_ say, you dominating me was...uh...really freaking attractive so there's that." Swallowing nervously as he fidgets with his hand, Lance smiles. "But...I can treat you first if...well if you want."

"We'll experiment around to see what you're most comfortable with." Keith doesn't really know which one he is himself. Possibly a switch since he likes imagining himself as both. "Since you think you might be more bottom, you should try being a top first."

Lance seems to be struggling to realize what will be happening later. He's nervous but excited and it shows in his face. "I want to...try giving you head too. If you want it obviously. I just, I mean, I've never done any of it. So I'm like...not sure I'm any good but..." Just blushing more as he grabs Keith's hand tighter. "You're really sure you want to...with me?"

"Of course I do. This will be the first time for the both of us." Keith kisses the back of Lance's hand. "Maybe we should just play a movie that's loud enough to cover our voices." He'd rather do all this on a bed than a couch.

Lance nods and scoots totally next to Keith and buries his face in his neck. "Probably a good idea." He half whines before kissing Keith's neck a few times, growing more and more sensual with each kiss. "And lock the door. Don't want the kids showing up again."

Keith chuckles, "Definitely can't have that." He kisses Lance's forehead just as Hunk comes back with two more to go boxes.

"I love you guys and this is all really cute, but please don't to go far here." He places the boxes on the table. "Do you guys need help bringing all this out?"

Lance jumps when Hunk shows back up. "No, no, I can carry it." He hugs Hunk and smiles happily. "Food was great as always, big guy. Thanks." Then, he looks over to Keith and smiles. "Ready?"

Keith nods. He gets up and grabs the cake for the kids. "Do we have enough room in the storage compartment?" They have quite a bit of things already in there. Doesn't help that hover bikes don't have a lot of space to begin with.

"So long as we take out the stuffed animals we should be fine." Lance tilts his head and shrugs. "Hopefully?" He then heads toward the bike while staying as close to Keith as he can. "Wow I'm getting crazy anxious now. You're really sure about tonight?"

"I should be asking you that," Keith gently elbows Lance. "You can back out any time you feel uncomfortable." It probably sounds like he had some experience with how confident he is, huh? "We also don't have to go all the way."

Lance nods as he puts the food into the storage compartment then grabs Keith and kisses him passionately. While a part of him worries that Keith will grow bored of him, Lance really wants him. And there's no hiding it. "Either way, I want to try _something_ with you at least ok? Even if it's just you biting me and me...doing whatever you want in exchange."

Keith chuckles silently. "Let's hurry home then." He kisses Lance passionately. "Before I lose control again." His Galra side isn't actually trying to get out, he is just really turned on right now.

Lance shivers at Keith's words and nods before hopping on the bike and waiting to feel Keith's arms around him. "Right away." He grins then gaps when he feels Keith close to him. He too is quite turned on, truth be told. "Distract the family with cake while we go...have a good night." Then he starts the car and darts away.

Keith clings as close to Lance as possible the entire way. Once Lance is parked, he jumps off and gather half the things inside the storage compartment. The stuff animals, the picture frame, and the cake. Entering the house, Kosmo and the two kids appear in front of him. "Hey guys," he laughs. "I brought Hunk made cake for everyone."

"Yaaaay! Cake!" Sylvio darts away to announce to the family that there is cake and Nadia takes the boxes and puts them on the table. Beside Keith, Lance just watches him with a smile and sighs. "Part of the family for sure." He kisses Keith's neck, up to his ear then bites just beneath it. "Hope you don't mind." The words exit his lips in hardly a whisper.

Keith let's out a silent moan. His eyes half closed and very erotic looking. "Lance," he whines softly. Taking Lance's hand, he rushes to said man's room. Once the door is closed, he pins Lance to it. "What if someone saw that?" His cheeks burn red.

"Oh no they would have seen me kiss you. Whatever would we do?" Lance grins, breath rapid as Keith has him pinned. "What'ya gonna do about it?" He raises an eyebrow teasingly.

"You need a good punishment. You pick a good background movie first though." Keith nuzzles into the crook of Lance's neck and bites down on the bigger hickey. He then licks it before pulling away. "I'll lock the door."

Lance gasps and his knees grow weak when Keith bites him. He manages to keep his voice under control when Keith licks him, but his breath is ragged. Not able to quite get a word out edgewise, Lance goes over to the bed and turns on the tv before quickly finding an obnoxious action anime and relaxing onto the pillows. "Movie chosen."

Keith locks the door and then pushes Lance down onto the bed. "It's hard to tell if you're a good boy or a bad boy." He leans down and licks Lance's neck right where the big hickey is. "What do you think?"

"I think that choice is up to you." Lance's breath is shallow as he watches Keith. His eyes flutter closed and his jaw drops a bit in ecstasy. After swallowing his moan, Lance forces his eyes back open and blinks hard before looking into Keith's eyes and pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

Keith moans into the kiss. Before it can get too deep, he pulls away and starts undressing Lance. "I don't think I can stay mad at you right now," he says before leaning down to lick Lance's nipple. "Do you want to try first or should I just keep going?"

Lance is hard even before Keith starts to undress him but it only gets worse from there. "You don-ah." He stops speaking as he gasps sharply when Keith licks his nipple. It is mind-numbing how sensitive he is. "Would it...be offensive if I asked you to keep going? I did say I should owe you after all."

Keith hums and gently bites down. "I can keep going," he says as he licks further down. Undoing Lance's pants, he pulls the rest of his clothes off. He wraps his hand around the base of Lance's dick and lips the tip of it.

Lance had moved to speak but his voice didn't cooperate. Instead, a small, half-choked moan exits his mouth as his eyes roll up in his head a bit and his hands grip the sheets. At the lick, Lance gasps and tries not to moan. "Keith." The name rushes out in one breath.

Keith takes Lance's head into his mouth and pumps the rest. His tongue continues to swirl around and over the tip. Lance's moans sound so amazing and are send straight down to his own dick. He tries to look up and watch Lance's expressions.

Lance grips the sheets tighter and his feet push into the mattress as Keith pleasures him. He gasps before moaning and struggling to stay quiet. "Keith." He moans out his name before gasping again and struggling not to thrust against him. "Keith. Fuck. Keith."

Keith can feel Lance's his twitching, so he pumps faster. He starts to suck on the tip and his free hand travels up to try to find Lance's. His own hips start grinding against the bed, being so hard that it almost hurts.

Lance cant hold back when Keith works faster, he lets lose a needy moan. When he feels Keith's hand searching for his, Lance grabs it before shoving his head back into the bed and moaning again as Keith deepens his attention. "Kei-" Lance is panting so hard he can't even speak. While not meaning to, he thrusts a bit into Keith and moans loudly.

Since Lance isn't all that deep into his mouth, the thrust doesn't affect him at all. He just continues, but his pumping hand goes faster and he sucks harder. Finding the perfect angle to grind against the bed, he moans without lifting his head.

Lance's mouth can't close anymore. He grips Keith's hand tight but the bedsheets tighter as he moans, sure he is about to lose his mind. When Keith moans while doing everything else, Lance gasps and his free hand grabs Keith's hair. He doesn't push down, just grabs Keith's hair while trying to steady his breath enough to speak. "So...fuck...Keith...hot." His words come out between moans and he gasps for air.

Keith moans more, loving the feeling of his hair being pulled. He lifts his head just to say," Come already," then goes back to sucking Lance's dick like his life depended on it. He starts to bob his head up and down, matching the rhythm of his pumping.

At Keith's words, Lance cant help it. He moans and twitches as he comes then gasps for air, feeling as though he is going to black out from how intense it is. "Keith. I love you." He gasps for air.

Keith pulls away with a mouth full of cum. He lets it linger on his tongue for a little bit before swallowing. "I love you too Lance." Climb back up, he kisses Lance's cheek then lays beside him. "You're very sexy."

Lance kisses Keith hungrily then pushes him over and roll on top of him while deepening the kiss. "So are you." Lance speaks before going in for another kiss while burying his hands in Keith's hair. One hand trails down and starts to undo Keith's shirt. "I feel like I severely owe you now."

Keith groans into the kiss. He lifts his arms to make it easier for Lance to undress him. "Then treat me," he says softly with half lidded eyes. "I'm yours after all."

Lance eyes Keith over once the shirt is off and trails his hands over his skin, _slowly_ moving to undo his pants. As soon as Keith goes to complain, Lance bends down and starts to bite from his neck down to his chest, finally trailing all the way to just beneath Keith's belly button. Finally, he slips the pants off and bites the inside of Keith's upper thigh, just inside his hip, having fun listening to him before sliding a hand up Keith's erection.

Keith is already a moaning mess by the time Lance finally touches his dick. Precum leaks from the tip as he clenches the sheets hard. His legs are shivering from how good the bite felt. "Lance," he moans needily as he bucks his hips.

Lance looks back up to Keith for a minute, almost animalistic in his motions. "Sounds like you are a bit turned on." Lance's words drip out like honey before he leans down and licks up Keith's dick once. "I can't decide if I want to," he pops Keith in and out of his mouth once, "please you with my mouth or," he licks up Keith again, teasing the tip a while with his tongue before continuing his thought, "or tease you until you snap and fuck me."

Keith's entire body is shivering with need. "Don't tease me," he begs. Lance's tongue and mouth felt so good, he just wants more. "Please." One hand reaches down to comb into Lance's hair. "Don't you owe me?"

Lance smirks then takes Keith into his mouth again, licking and bobbing without giving Keith much of a chance to argue anymore. But, just as Keith really starts to lose it, Lance stops and slowly jerks him as he bites around his surely over sensitive lower regions. "But teasing you is so fun."

Keith let's out whiny moans as he bucks his hips just to get Lance to pump him off faster. He is fighting the urge to just shove his dick back into Lance's mouth. All he wants is to climax. "Please," he begs some more.

"Please?" Lance parrots and licks Keith more while pumping. He watches Keith struggle and _god is it hot_. Pausing to lick his hungry lips, Lance goes back to slowly taking Keith into his mouth, but not before licking the tip and sucking just the top.

Keith arcs his back and moans louder. His eyes roll back and he can feel himself getting even closer to the climax. The hand in Lance's hair clenches tighter but starts pushing him down. "Lance," he moans," More!"

There is not denying him after that. Between the force he is using to keep Lance's head down and the _sound of his voice_ , Lance finally gives him what he wants. Testing to see how much he can take, Lance takes a bit more of Keith with each push down and moans at the feeling of Keith melting from his actions. It's a whole new level of attraction, watching Keith lust after him behind locked doors. One hand trails up Keith's chest and plays with a nipple while the other wraps around him so he can grab his ass as he finds the point where his gag reflex kicks in. From there, Lance speeds up little, by little, by little.

Keith arcs his back more as his moans get louder. Some of his moans are silent from how overwhelmed he is. The hand still clenching the sheets start to pull on it and his legs start moving a bit. "I'm cumming," he warns. His legs wrap around Lance as his hips start shallow thrusting. "I'm cumming. I'm cumming."

Lance doesn't stop, finding a new lack of gag reflex when he hears Keith's orgasmic moans. When he feels Keith throb before cumming, Lance grabs Keith's hand then swallows as the cum is shot into his mouth. He carefully licks Keith clean then kisses his way up Keith until they are eye to eye. He smiles down at him while laying on top of him. "You sounding like that is something I could get use to."

Keith is panting lightly and loosely wraps his arms around Lance's neck. "Yeah?" He asks as he nuzzles into his boyfriend. "Do you wanna go further tonight or you tired?" He himself is a little tired. This was far better than he has ever done alone.

"I think we should wait for further." Lance kisses Keith's neck then runs a hand through his soft, black hair. "But only because it gives us more to look forward to next time right?"

Keith smiles and hums softly. "Yeah." He yawns since he doesn't have to hide it. "You're really good, I think I almost passed out when I came."

Lance blushes. "Thanks." He mumbles bashfully then rolls to be on his side next to Keith. "I just did what I thought would feel good and...you know, tried to drive you crazy."

Keith readjusts his hold on Lance. "Should we pick up your clothes before drifting off to sleep?" He asks. Since they were nice clothes, they are going to get wrinkled.

"Nah. We can leave them. I don't want to move." Lance cuddles tighter and kisses Keith's neck. "Love you."

"Love you too," He says and curls around Lance. Keith nuzzles into brown hair. "You still smell like the beach."

"We can go back any time." Lance already sounds tired. "I love the beach."

Keith yawns and lets out a small cat like noise. "I love you." He closes his eyes and relaxes more. "Good night," he says since he knows they won't remember to say it later.

Lance is already too tired to respond.


	4. Chapter 4: Last Day on Earth

**Chapter Four: Last Day on Earth**

When morning comes, Lance is the first to wake and thankful for it. He lovingly runs his fingers through Keith's hair before it hits him. This is their last day together for...however long.

Keith groans softly and cuddles closer to Lance. He isn't fully awaken yet but Lance has stopped playing with his hair.

When Keith cuddles closer, it snaps Lance out of his sadness trance. He wraps his arms around him and hums happily before starting to play with his hair again. "Love you." He speaks quietly, wanting to say it without waking Keith up if he is still sleeping.

"Love you," He mumbles back. Keith shifts around a bit until he finds a comfortable position. "Your bed is so nice." He finally slowly opens his eyes and looks at Lance. "Makes me wanna stay here all day."

"So stay here all day." Lance responds as they make eye contact. "Day off right? You're allowed to do that." He kisses Keith's forehead and smiles. "I mean, so long as I get to stay here with you anyway."

Keith chuckles lightly. "I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed." He also grips onto Lance tightly. "And you're part of why I want to stay here all day." Lance is so warm, it makes him want to go back to sleep again.

Lance smiles softly and cuddles into Keith. "I'm not leaving." He reassures then kisses Keith's cheekbone. "We can stay here and cuddle then have food in bed. I'll spend the day covering you in kisses and it will be great." As if to acknowledge the plan for certain, Lance leans in and kisses keith's neck a few times.

Keith's cheeks redden as he hums. He lifts his head up in order to give Lance more room. Imagining his neck covered just as much as Lance's is sends a wave of shivers down his spine. "Cover me," he whispers without thinking.

Lance looks up without moving his head and kisses once or twice more. "I feel like...you don't just mean kisses." He speaks quietly before biting down onto the skin that connects Keith's neck to his shoulder and humming. "If I'm wrong, let me know."

Keith moans and lightly claws at Lance's back. "You're not wrong. Leave as many as you want." It is definitely something he would love to look at when he is back at the base.

Lance takes a deep, shaky breath when Keith moans. "God that sound." He bites down on a new spot while running his hands over Keith's skin. "I will leave as many as you want. Especially if it means I get to memorize the sound of you moaning."

Keith moans again. "Make them dark." He wants them to last as long as possible. One hand travels up and combs into Lance's hair. "Lance," he moans when a new spot is attacked.

Lance can feel his stomach tighten with want as Keith moans his name. "I'll leave you as many as I can." He whispers. "I adore having you like this." At that, he pushes Keith over and crawls on top of him before biting down toward the top of Keith's neck, under his hairline. "And you taste amazing so extra fun for me."

Keith grips tightly onto Lance's hair. His head sinks into the pillow as he tilts it back further. He doesn't say anything more as he just melts. It gets to the point where all he can't actually say any words.

Lance slowly melts as he pays attention to Keith. somewhere along the way, he feels himself growing hard as Keith's breath becomes ragged and his grip tightens but he doesn't try to do more than what Keith has asked for. "I love you." Lance whispers between bites, "and I love this."

Keith only replies in groans. His grip tighten as he tries pulling Lance closer, despite them already being as close as possible. He let's put a whiny moan when Lance finds a weak spot.

Lance grins and realizes what that sound is so he pays special attention to it for a bit. He gasps at how Keith reacts then quietly curses his bladder. "As much as I really want to continue, my bladder is about to explode." He kisses Keith again and runs a hand down his chest before hurrying to the dresser and grabbing a pair of pj pants to dart to the nearest bathroom.

Keith slowly comes back to Earth. He is sad that Lance had to leave so suddenly but he gets it. He slowly sits up and touches where Lance last left a hickey. It's tender and it makes him very happy. Looking at the floor of the room, he searches for his own pants. Once found, he puts them on and pulls out his phone to see his neck. It's really covered in hickies and it makes his heart skip a beat.

Lance comes back as quickly as he can to see Keith admiring his neck and laughs. "Yeah they should all be pretty dark for you in a day or so." He climbs back on top of Keith and sits on his lap. "Gotta make sure you have something to remember your visit by, right?" He teases as he pushes his forehead to Keith's."

Keith is beaming with happiness as he loosely wraps his arms around Lance's waist. "Now we will be teased for doing so much rather than not being together." He kisses his boyfriend then nuzzles against his cheek.

Lance laughs and nods. "Yeah, you're probably right." He nuzzles too then kisses Keith's neck again, gently this time. "Should we get dressed and have some breakfast or stay hiding in bed all day?"

Keith hums at the kiss. "I think breakfast sounds better. Maybe there will be some desert left for us to eat." He nuzzles Lance more. "If that's okay with you."

Lance nods and gives Keith an eskimo kiss. "I won't lie, I was really hoping you would agree. I am starving."

"Then you should have just said so." Keith pokes Lance's side. "Come on, get up so you can fill your belly."

Lance hops up and looks at the clothes Keith is wearing. "No no, comfy clothes day." He goes over and grabs them both a comfy t shirt and Keith a pair of pj pants and tosses them to him. "Once you're dressed, we can go eat. Any requests this morning?"

Keith catches the pants before they hit his face. "I was just in a rush. I forgot the clothes I packed in the ship." He takes off his pants and starts putting on the shirt first. "Waffles or toast?" Once the shirt is fully on, it's longer than he expected. "Are you just somehow giving me all your biggest clothes?"

"I dress in baggier clothes nowadays or had you not noticed?" Lance hurries back to him and grabs Keith in a gentle hug before softly kissing him. "Waffles sound good to me." He speaks hushed then smiles with his head tilted.

"I think you're lying." Keith wraps his arms around Lance's waist despite still needing to put on the pants. "Your shirt doesn't look all that baggy on you." He tugs at the bottom of the shirt. "Looks like if fits you like your old jacket did. Very slightly baggy."

Lance grins and kisses Keith's neck again. Perhaps it's a new addiction of his? "Well, maybe my style hasn't changed all that much then? And maybe I think you look adorable in clothes slightly too big for you. What then?"

Keith's heart skips a beat at the kiss. "Then maybe we should just swap clothes. My tight shirt looked amazing on you. It wasn't skin tight but wasn't too big." He nuzzles against Lance's temple. Next time he goes out for supplies, he'll definitely get some baggy clothes.

Lance's smile grows soft and he nods. "Maybe next visit we can buy each other something to wear." He turns and kisses Keith's cheek. "I'll let you pick whatever edgy clothes you want me in." Teasing a bit, Lance runs his hands up and down Keith's back slowly.

Keith smiles. "Did you ever have an emo or edgy phase? Cause if not, I want to go all out." Though, he is pretty sure current edgy is different from how it was back before Earth was attacked. "What do you plan to get for me? Just baggy clothes?"

"I dunno. Something cute. With color. to bring out your eyes." As he mentions his eyes, Lance runs his fingers along Keith's eyebrow and edge of his eye. "But no, I never really had that phase I guess. I mean, you've known me a long time. Did you ever see it?"

Keith tilts his head to make Lance run his fingers over his face again. "The Garrison had uniform and it's not like I saw you that often off campus." He tries to remember back to the few times he did. "I think you've always dressed the same for as long as I've known you."

"Basically yes." Lance trails his fingers again as he speaks and gasps lightly at how beautiful Keith looks in the morning light, being gentle in his arms. His eyes can't seem to decide which eye to look at as he admires Keith. "I think I'm just going to keep falling more in love with you."

Keith smiles softly. "Good, because I love you." He gently kisses Lance and watches bis boyfriend's eyes flutter. "You're so amazing," he whispers before nuzzling back into the brown hair.

What Lance says next isn't supposed to sound bitter. it really isn't. "Says you." He hugs Keith, pressing his hand into the back of his head and kissing his forehead. "But, I can make amazing pancakes so let's ok, shall we?"

Keith's heart pangs slightly from Lance's words. He worried something went wrong until his forehead is kissed. He sighs silently and smiles again. "You go ahead, I still haven't put on any pants." He tugs the bottom of the shirt he is wearing. "I don't think you want me out there like this."

"Oh yeah." Lance looks down and blushes a bit before running a hand down his thigh. "God you're sexy." He kisses Keith once more then slowly steps away. "I'll start cooking. Meet you out there." He then walks to the door, only stopping to admire Keith a bit longer with a quiet sigh.

Keith blushes but doesn't move until Lance is gone. It's nice to be admired. He quickly puts on the pajama pants and meets Lance in the kitchen. Seeing that Lance hasn't started yet, he comes up behind and wraps his arms around Lance's waist."Should I help or just sit back and watch?"

Lance hums when Keith hugs him from behind. "Just watch. This is easy enough." He turns so he can peak at Keith from the corner of his eye. "I'm seriously going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too." Keith nuzzles into Lance's neck and sighs. "I promise I'll visit as often as I can. We'll have your video chat everyday." He hugs Lance tighter. "I'll be sure to stick around for the holidays though."

Lance lightens up a lot at the mention of him being back for the holidays. "Oh my god I'm going to spoil you for the holidays you have _no idea_." He turns back to mix up the waffles and smiles. "And good. I can't wait to talk to you every night."

Keith chuckles. "What should I bring back? I'm not sure what most of your family likes, unless I should do my shopping here." Though, that would mean he'd have to be here a few days before Christmas which would make his holiday break even longer. He was originally planning to be here for Christmas eve to new years. "We'll need to make an ongoing list of what each family member likes."

"My family - and me - will love anything you bring. None of us are hard to please. Bring flowers, rocks, all kinds of things like that and we will love it." Lance chuckles then pours the first waffle in. "But bring it from out there. That way you can tell stories with it."

Keith chuckles. "Okay." He closes his eyes and enjoys the movement of Lance's back muscles. He then remembers the picture frame. "Oh, after breakfast, I have something I forgot to give you last night."

Lance glances back. "Really?" He tilts his head and looks surprised but can't stop smiling. "I don't have anything else to give you. Now I feel bad." Stated with a pout, Lance looks down and sighs. "But I'll happily do something to pay you back...if you wish."

Keith rubs his nose against Lance's ear. "Don't feel bad. I used the time while I was looking around the gift store to find you something extra. I wouldn't be a gentleman in our moms' eyes otherwise." He chuckles softly.

"But I want to treat you too." He gasps a bit and licks his lower lip. "Your mom is gonna love the gift I decorated you with then huh?"

"She is definitely going to be happy for us," Keith answers. "Love? I'm not sure but definitely amused." He smiles softly and nuzzles into Lance's neck more. "Do you think anyone will say anything about yours when I'm gone?"

Lance sighs and pulls the waffle out then hands it to Keith and gives him a quick kiss. "They are all going to ask me a million things I'm sure. But I think," He grabs Keith's hips to pull the two of them close, "they'll just be happy that I am happy." After giving a quick kiss, Lance chuckles. "Eat I'll join in a minute."

Keith takes a bite of the waffle but continues to stand close to Lance. "Think they'll ever get tired of having a spaceship parked by the farm?" He isn't sure if he blocking anything, but he isn't on any pathway as far as he can tell.

Lance shrugs and tilts his head to smile back to Keith. "Even if they do, they can deal with it." He grins playfully then turns the waffle maker and sighs. "This is so nice. Having someone to care for and love makes me feel...so amazing." Chuckling, Lance turns around and leans against the counter. "Hopefully you feel the same."

"I'm on cloud nine," Keith answers between bites. He takes his last bite then takes a few steps to be right in front of Lance. "I'm mostly just happy that your smiling again."

Lance grins and grabs the back of Keith's head, burying his fingers in his hair. "Thanks to you." He pulls Keith into a kiss and hums at the feeling. It's a slightly longer than it should be kiss as he gets lost in the feeling of the two of them being so close, but when he pulls away, Lance presses his forehead to Keith's. "Trust me, I'm glad to have a reason to smile again." A little smirk slips its way onto his face before he adds, "even if it is a mullet."

Keith gasps in mock offence. "Says the one that is closer to an actual mullet." He buries his fingers into Lance's hair and tugs on it slightly to show the length. "Maybe if you let your bangs grow..." He trails off as he chuckles.

"But then they'd be in my eyes." Lance pouts playfully then spins around and quickly takes the waffle off of the maker. It's a bit more brown than he would have liked but the kiss was well worth it. "Unlike someone I know, I actually like to be able to see."

"I can see perfectly fine," Keith argues. "Besides, you can always clip it to the side." He moves Lance's bangs and watches as they fall back to where it was before. "I think you'd look amazing with longer hair."

"You do?" Lance is honestly surprised. He takes a bite of his waffle, deciding it easier to stay standing at the counter then rubs his cheek against keith's. "You look amazing like this for sure, so I guess I can't argue against longer hair." After a thoughtful smile, Lance runs a hand through Keith's hair. "I bet it would be amazing to braid."

Keith hums and tilts his head closer. "Do you want to? I wouldn't mind." His niece was playing with it the other day. "You can do whatever you want with it too, you don't have to just braid."

"I just want to play with it." Lance chuckles then buries his face in it and hums. "It's so soft and smells good." He kisses Keith's scalp a couple of times then turns back to his food. "So, back to bed after this?"

"Mhm," Keith hums. "Maybe if Kosmo wants to hang out with us, we're can try braiding his fur." It's actually a little surprising the kids aren't up yet. He thought they would be up and early running around.

"Oh man! I want to cuddle with that big boy and braid your hair." Lance speaks with his mouth half full. "We can make out, watch movies and _then_ we can try braiding his hair." He grabs Keith's waist and pulls him into a close hug. "Sound good?"

Keith smiles and hugs back. "Sounds good," he parrots. "What should we try watching this time? Not sure which will keep our attention."

Lance tilts his head then slowly buries his face beneath Keith's hair to kiss one of the bruises beginning to form. "I'm not sure anything will be more attention grabbing than this." He whispers quietly before kissing again behind his ear. "I can watch a movie anytime. But this," interrupting himself to kiss again, "this is limited time."

Keith's eyes become half closed as shiver run down his spine. "Hopefully soon it won't be." He nuzzles into Lance's hair. "Should we bring some drinks and snacks into your room so we don't have to come back out here?"

"Absolutely." Lance kisses back down to Keith's shoulder then turns and grabs a couple boxes of snacks. Seeming to suddenly realize the silence, he looks around to find an empty house and is utterly confused. "Huh. They must have been trying to give us the day." When he turns back to Keith, he is blushing a bit. "Hopefully we weren't too loud."

Keith blushes too. "Hopefully not." He helps Lance with gathering everything they need to bring back to the bedroom. "Maybe they all went out to eat breakfast?"

Lance thinks about it then just shrugs. "I honestly have no idea. But...that leaves the house to us and i'm pretty much ok with that." He pins Keith in place so that he can kiss him passionately.

Keith moans into the kiss. Despite the small worry that someone could still be in the house, he completely melts into the kiss. He parts his lips slightly and licks Lance's lip.

Lance notices this and instantly grants way for Keith's tongue as he presses into him and wraps his arms up Keith's back. If today is the last time the are together for some time, Lance doesn't wish for Keith to forget easily.

Keith wraps his arms around Lance's neck. He tangles their tongues together while moaning at how amazing it feels. His knees start to shake as he feels the bottom of his tongue scrape against Lance's teeth.

Noticing Keith's legs shaking, Lance lifts him and rests him on the edge of the counter. He pulls away to look Keith over for a second before running a hand through his hair. "I could just...admire you all damn day i swear."

Keith gazes at Lance. "I could too," he says as one hand slowly travels to cup Lance's cheek. His thumb runs across the Altean mark. "Blue really does suit you."

Lance blushes again and tilts his head into the touch on his cheek. "I'm glad you like it." He looks a bit sad but smiles none-the-less. "I just...want to have you spoil me forever. Does that make me awful?"

"Not at all." Keith gives Lance an eskimo kiss. "I want to spoil you forever." His heart flutters as he stares into those dark blue eyes. "I still can't believe I can call you mine."

Lance smiles happily at the eskimo kiss. "So do it! Spoil me and call me yours forever." He chuckles playfully then sighs and brushes Keith's hair from his neck to kiss it again.

"Mine," he whispers and nuzzles Lance's hair. "Let's head to your room. It's a far better place to be doing this." It's cute having to look down at Lance but the counter is not a comfy place to sit.

"Fair enough." Lance grabs Keith off the counter and kisses him before starting down the hall. "We can come back for food . I have my hands full with something much tastier at the moment." He teases lightly.

Keith blushes and buries his face into Lance's hair. "Lance," he whines.

"What? It's true." He smiles and kisses what he can of Keith as they awkwardly walk toward his room.

"Your tastier than I am," Keith tries to argue. He really just doesn't know what to say.

Lance just laughs and shakes his head. "If you say so samurai." He enters his room and drops Keith onto the bed. Kissing his forehead, he darts away and comes back with food he had gathered. "Binge day?"

"Yup." Keith takes some of the snack onto his lap. There is more than half that he doesn't recognize. "Is there a series we should watch or just movies?"

"Like I said, don't care. I'm going to be paying attention to you anyway. Just pick something that sounds interesting and I'll give you massages and stuff." He hops next to Keith and kisses his cheek.

Keith blushes and kisses Lance's cheek in return. "Let's just let the cartoon about us play in the background. Pidge said it was somewhat entertaining." He waits for Lance's go ahead before grabbing the remote and putting it on.

Lance jumps a bit and nods, letting Keith do as he wishes before pulling off his shit to get comfortable. "Man, two Keiths to look at...I'm extra lucky I guess." He teases a bit as he cuddles down into his mound of pillows

"I get to look at two Lance's." Keith lays down next to Lance. "Also I think you have a mullet in the show." He turns his head to look at Lance.

"Is that another hint that I should grow my hair out?" Lance rolls over and cuddles up to Keith. "I guess I could do that for you, if you really want me to." He presses his forehead to Keith's and plays with his hair as he smiles softly. "Even if Keith is on the screen, this one will be my favorite."

Keith smiles softly and cuddles closer. "Only if you want to. I'm not sure if you just prefer shorter hair but I think it would be cute is we had similar hairstyles for a date." He lays a leg over Lance, just to be as tangled together as possible.

Lance kisses the tip of Keith's nose and wraps his legs around Keith's too. "I just get the sense you want it a bit longer. And if that's what you want, then I will make it happen." He moves his lips to Keith's neck and starts to kiss it. "I just want to make you happy." The words slip out as he kisses.

Keith hums and moves his head out of the way. "I am very happy, even if you don't end up growing out your hair." A hand combs into Lance's hair and pulls on it gently. "Just being like this, I feel I could die from how happy I am."

"Yeah well don't. I'll kill you if you die." Lance teases before going back to kissing. "But I'll grow my hair out. Part of the holiday treat for you ok? But I look silly. So be warned now." He somehow manages to cuddle closer whilst burying his face to plant more gentle kisses along Keith's neck.

"I think you're lying. You don't look silly." Keith kisses Lance's head. "I love you so much." He closes his eyes and just enjoys the light kisses and the fingers combing through his hair.

"Good because I love you too." He hums happily then kisses more before slowly pushing Keith onto his back so he can kiss more of him. "I could kiss you all day."

"Don't tire out your lips," Keith says softly. His hand travel up and down Lance's back, just memorizing the feeling. "Can't kiss sore lips."

"I guess it's a good thing I have worked my mouth this much huh?" He chuckles then nibbles above Keith's collar bone before sighing and sitting up to admire him again. "To think, only a few years ago we could hardly say a couple of words to each other."

Keith rests his hands on Lance's hips. "To think Taylor would like me back..." he smiles softly. His eyes are half closed but still overflowing with love. "I love you," he whispers.

Lance laughs and nods before grabbing Keith and rolling the two of them over so Keith is on top of him. "I was so jealous of whoever the hell that Taylor person was. It's funny to realize I was jealous of myself." He runs a hand through the hair around Keith's ear and smiles. "I love you too."

Keith purrs softly and leans into Lance's hand. "There was actually a girl who came up to me, saying that she thought I was cute. Her name is Taylor and heard the rumor." He chuckles to himself. "I was very confused and turned her down."

Lance can't help but giggle a bit. "Look at you, hot stuff. Getting talked to without wanting to." He tilts his head to watch Keith with loving eyes. "We would have all assumed that was "the Taylor" if you catch my drift." He giggles again then leans in and kisses Keith's nose. "But nope It was me all along."

Keith blushes. "You were always insistent on being called "the Taylor". I was also never around when people called out to you." He gives Lance's nose a quick kiss. "Guess it stuck with the right person."

"Because I know how to thread the needle. It was...oh never mind." Lance gives him an eskimo kiss then wraps his arms around him tight. "You don't think Shiro will be unhappy with us being together? Or your mom right? Silly question I know but, I feel like I need to ask anyway."

"My mom was the one who pushed me to take you on a date," Keith answers. "And for Shiro, why would he be unhappy? He has known about my crush for you."

"Your mom did?!" The surprise is clearly not able to be hidden. Lance shakes his head and shrugs. "I dunno. I just... want to be good enough for you, you know? Like...I don't want everyone to think I'm just some like...lust drunk fool or something."

Keith cups Lance's face. "You're not some drunk fool, everyone knows that. You were a paladin of Voltron, we all know how amazing you are." He kisses Lance's forehead. "You're plenty good for me."

Lance smiles warmly and wraps himself around Keith. "God I seriously love you. I hate that I didn't just... _say_ so before." He kisses along Keith's neck. "Never let me be so stupid again, ok?"

Keith chuckles and combs his hands into Lance's hair. "I won't. If you ever are, I'll fly back as soon as possible to set you straight." His mom would totally let him, so long as there isn't a big mission going on.

Lance smiles and slowly leans in to kiss him. "My badass Keith." He grins when he pulls back from the kiss and buries both hands in his hair. "I'm so lucky."

"We are both very lucky," Keith corrects. He presses his forehead against Lance's and soaks in his beautiful blue eyes. A loud bang from the TV makes him jump slightly. He turns to look at what happened and gets sucked into the fight scene.

Lance watches him for a while, smiling softly as Keith gets distracted by the scene. For a bit, Lance plays with his hair, mindlessly running his fingers through it, but before long, he scoots so he can braid the soft, black hair. "You're right. We are quite lucky aren't we?"

Keith hums in agreement but also at his hair being plaid with. He moves slowly as he readjusts so he doesn't mess up the braid. "This feels really nice," he says softly.

"Well good. I would hope you like it." He leans in and kisses Keith's neck with a smile then finishes up the braid and laughs. "you know, I think it might be bad for your hair to be in a braid like this. Now your neck is even easier to get to." As if to prove his point, Lance leans down and bites his neck before playfully licking it and giggling.

Keith is confused at first, because braids aren't bad for the hair. He was expecting a kiss when Lance mentions his neck so at the bite, he gasps. Lance had bit a sensitive spot and the lick makes Keith groan softly. Are human necks normally this sensitive or it part of his galra side?

Lance shivers at Keith's sounds and licks his lips. "I will never get use to that sound." He kisses up the neck again, biting with every third kiss. "Call me biased, but I may have found my new favorite sound."

Keith whines softly but continues to moan softly for each bite. He loves the feeling of being bit and he can't help but remember what it feels like when Lance bites harder. "I love what you're doing to me."

"Then I should make sure to keep it up, hm?" Lance licks up to Keith's ear and bites just under it before purposefully moaning into his ear. "Drive you a bit wild, shall I?"

Keith's toes curl. "Lance," he moans. His legs shift a bit and he grips onto the sheets. "More," he begs in almost a whisper.

"How much more do you want?" Lance kisses down until his lips are against Keith's shoulder and bites down hard on the soft spot there. Once there, his hands slide along to Keith's hips. "Fuck you are sexy."

Keith moans loudly. His back arcs away from Lance his his hips stay close. "Because of you," he mumbles. He turns his head to try to look back at Lance, showing his erotic expression.

"Because you are." Lance argues then - in the blink of an eye - finds himself knocked over as a very large, very happy poof shows up on top of him. It takes a second for him to remember, oh yeah...Kosmo. "Hey buddy."

Keith can't help but burst out laughing. He rolls over so he can pet his companion. "Got tired of not being around us?" He asks sweetly as he ruffles the fur by the ears. Kosmo happily nuzzles both Lance and Keith, his tail wagging.

Lance cuddles into the huge dog and pets him too. "What a good boy." He coos before kissing his fuzzy neck before scooting next to Keith. "He didn't want us to go too far too fast. Good boy."

Keith chuckles. "Aww, what a good boy." He ruffles Kosmo's fur more before kissing Lance's cheek. "Since he is here now, wanna try making him pretty?"

"Awwww whaddya mean?! You don't think Kosmo is pretty enough already?" Lance pets the big dog and smiles happily. "Should we braid his hair too?"

"We definitely should. It won't be as easy but I think Kosmo will love the attention." Keith shifts so he can sit up. "Do you have small hair ties or clips?"

"I'm sure we have some somewhere. The girls use them a lot so I don't know why not." Lance gives Keith a long, passionate kiss before getting up to go find them. It doesn't take him too long to come back with a collection of small hair bands. "You wanna match your dad?"

Kosmo's tail thumps against the bed, which causing Keith to chuckle. "He is so excited." He moves so that Kosmo can be between him and Lance and starts to section some of his fur. "Or should we move to the floor? I don't want to break your bed."

"It's fine to be here." Lance plays with Kosmo's fur for a bit then nuzzles him. "If you break the bed then I'll just have to get another one." He teases lightly then leans in and asks Keith for a kiss.

Keith leans in and gives a kiss. "Can you imagine what your family will think we did?" He starts to braid Kosmo's fur. "I'm also pretty sure no one will believe we braided Kosmo's fur unless we keep it till they come out from hiding."

"Honestly?" Lance tilts his head and chuckles. "I'd probably get a round of applause or something." He them starts to comb through Kosmo's hair with his hands before starting a basket weave braid.

Keith chuckles. "Such an odd this to get a round of applause for." He notices and watches how Lance is braiding and copies it as best as he can. He only really knows basic braiding.

"I mean, not disagreeing but my family is a bit odd." He sees Keith doing his best to copy so Lance slows down and shows him how he is doing it. "But I'm fairly certain they all know how long I've liked you so..."

Keith doesn't know how to respond to that so he just nods. He focuses on the braiding for a bit, leaving the room silent for a while. For him, it's a comfortable silence. Once they both finish their first braid, Keith asks," Can you clip it down for me?"

Lance reaches over - making sure to "accidentally" graze his hands along Keith's before tying off the braid. "What do you think big guy? Look good? I think you look stunning." Lance pets Kosmo's head then kisses it.

Kosmo thumps his tail against the bed and curls to nuzzle Lance. Keith pulls out his phone to take a picture of the two braids. Lance looks better but his isn't all that bad. He then loops his arms around Lance's and nuzzles into Kosmo.

Lance chuckles. "Were like one little alien family." He can't help but laugh more at that. "I can get use to this though. For sure." He finds Keith's hand and intertwines their fingers together.

Keith smiles and brings Lance's hand to his lips. "Good, because I'm already getting used to this." He loves this, all of this. "I love you so much."

Lance, if he wasn't soft looking already, turns to mush. "Love you too, mullet." He smirks and kisses Keith's cheek. "You are brave, choosing to put up with me." He scoots closer with a soft smile.

"I'm not brave, just not stupid." Keith presses his nose into Lance's hair. He closes his eyes and basks in the ocean scent. "Your the brave one for dating an alien with a giant wolf."

"Oh true." Lance pretends to have an epiphany. "I mean, if I screw up you wont even have to hide the body, I'm sure Kosmo could finish me off in one meal." He laughs a bit.

Keith chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Your right, you're the perfect size for Kosmo." He combs through the fur on Kosmo's head. "But I think he likes you too much to ever do that."

"Well yeah, like I said, _if I messed up_ aka if I ever hurt you he probably wouldn't anymore." Lance pets Kosmo when he feels the big dog look at him. "Don't worry buddy, no plans to hurt him. promise." He nuzzles Kosmo with a smile.

Kosmo's tail wraps around Keith, which gets an appreciate pet. "He is such a good boy," Keith says. Even after winning the war, Kosmo has never stopped being the best companion ever. A lot of the other aliens love seeing him.

Lance watches the two of them for a second, soft smile growing on his face. "Good fit for a bad boy." He teases while curling over to be face to face with Keith. "You promise to call?"

"I promise, every day I'm able to." Keith presses his forehead against Lance's. "Earth sunset time, right?"

Lance smiles and nods, gripping Keith's hand tighter. "Or whenever. I'll keep the communicator on me at all times."

"I have it on me all the time too." Keith rubs his thumb in circles on the back of Lance's hand. "You can always message me anytime and I'll respond as soon as possible."

Lance finally can't take it. He leans in and kisses Keith passionately. "Thank you for all of this. Even if it is silly to thank you." He kisses again after a long sigh.

"Yes, it is silly," Keith chuckles. He nuzzles Lance then fully lays on Kosmo. "What should we do now? You hungry at all?"

Lance shakes his head. "Not hungry. Just want to spend every possible minute with you." He pets Kosmo before cuddling into the mound of dog as well. "So basically, I'm content to sit here with you and Kosmo all day if you want."

Keith chuckles. "We might end up falling asleep like this." He has before, because Kosmo is just so comfy. "We could actually start watching the tv show."

"Works for me. On both accounts." Lance cuddles up next to Keith and sighs as he starts to watch the show. After a bit, he chuckles. "I like the real you much better than that."

"I like the real me too, it's so weird seeing what they did with my character," Keith says," It's also just weird in general." Part of the personalities are close to accurate while other parts are just completely wrong. Like the ability to jump so high or for so long, it kind of bothers him.

Lance laughs and nods. "Yeah it's a bit...yeah." Lance tilts and kisses Keith's neck. "The real you is much more fun to kiss." He laughs between kisses then looks up. "You don't mind me kissing so much do you?"

Keith blushes slightly. "I don't mind," he mumbles," It's cute." With his free hand, he rubs across Kosmo's back. "You don't mind me not being as kissy?"

Lance smiles happily when Keith says it's cute. "You know...I might honestly be weirded out if you were." He laughs and shakes his head. "I mean, dark and brooding serious man Keith being all fluffy and kissy? Might be a bit of system shock."

Keith looks away, as if offended. "I'm all dark and brooding but I'm still soft and fluffy on the inside." He pouts as he fully turns away from Lance. He actually nuzzles his face into the back of Kosmo's head.

Lance grabs Keith's chin. "I was kidding." He whispers. "I've seen you smile. I know your heart alright. And I love you how you are."

Keith's exaggerated pout melts into a soft smile. He closes the gap between them and kisses Lance softly. "I love you too, even if I don't show it too often."

"You show it just find you goof." Lance nuzzles into him and sighs. "I'm just fare more needy than you. Don't worry."

Keith nuzzles back. "If you need anything from me, don't be scared to tell me." He kisses Lance's temple.

"Hmmmm..." Lance pretends to think. "Just more love." He responds playfully before nuzzling Keith's cheek.

Keith chuckles and nuzzles back. "I will give you all the love in the universe." He smiles wider and kisses Lance's nose.

The three of them stay together like that until Veronica knocks on the door. "Hey love birds, come have dinner." She calls from the other side.

"Is it really so late?" Lance glances out the window and is surprised then...a bit sad. "I didn't realize so much time had passed."

Keith grips Lance's hand tightly as they get up. "Everyday," he whispers to Lance. Kosmo follows close behind them as they all walk to the kitchen.

Lance looks a bit relieved at Keith's word then looks toward the kitchen in shock. The family went all out. Between farewell decorations and food literally everywhere in the kitchen, meats, vegetables, starches, fruit and cake, there was _so much food_. "Well, they aren't letting you leave without grandios."

Keith looks around in amazement. He wasn't expecting anything more than a teary goodbye and a group hug. "I really didn't need all of this," he says softly. He feels kind of bad that they all went out of their way for this, but he also feels so loved.

"Well of course you didn't _need_ it, but we wanted to make sure you have a few good reasons to come home." Lance's mom grabs Keith in a hug. "You had better like it, we all made some of our specialties. And you had better take some back with you."  
Lance watches them all interact with pure love plastered on his face. They all belong together.

Keith gets a little teary as he hugs mama Mcclain back. "Thank you. I'll definitely bring some back with me." His heart feels like it's about to burst out of his chest. "Thank you."

She moves to mess up Keith's hair before noting the braid. "Lance used his skills on your long head of hair huh? It looks pretty good." Then she shoves him toward the stack of plates. "Well, eat up!"

Keith quickly wipes his eyes and grabs a plate. "Thank you," he says again. He smiles at everyone before scooting back over to Lance's side. "Help me pick where to start?"

Lance kisses Keith's cheek. "Well I recommend a tiny bit of everything. Because you _have_ to try it all." He leads Keith around, telling him what everything is while the family chatters around them. The plate is beyond full by the time they sit down.

"We should have just grabbed another plate," Keith mumbles as he looks at very slowly puts downs his plate. The dining table is so full of food, they they are eating on the couches. "Your family is amazing, for doing this for me."

Lance kisses Keith's cheek before grabbing himself a plate and plopping back down next to him. "We all care about you, stupid." He teases with a nudging elbow. "And yeah, my family _is_ pretty amazing. Thanks guys." He calls back to them all which receives a conglomeration of different responses. After giving Keith a kiss on the cheek, Lance starts to eat, hoping to hide his sad eyes.

Keith looks over his mountain of food again before taking whatever is on top and trying it. He hums at how amazing it tastes. "Thank you," he says again as he looks at everyone. When he looks at Lance, he nuzzles him. "Your family is so amazing." He hadn't noticed how sad he is yet.

Lance cuddles closer. "Why else do you think I wanted to come home so bad?" He lightly teases. "I always feel loved and needed here." With the hand not eating, he grabs Keith's hand. "I love you."

He holds Lance's hand tight. "I love you too." Keith gives his boyfriend an eskimo kiss. "Oh wait!" He jumps up and goes to grab the small bag from the aquarium. "I still haven't given you this." Walking back to Lance, he plops down onto the couch and places the bag on his lap.

Lance smiles at the eskimo kiss then looks to the bag then back to Keith. "You didn't have to get me something else you big meanie." He then opens it and smiles brilliantly. Keith had even put a picture in it already. When did he even get the time...oh whatever. Lance grabs Keith in a huge hug. "Thank you." He kisses his neck. "I love it."

"You're welcome," Keith smiles brightly. When did a photo get in there? He doesn't say anything about it though. He hugs Lance tightly and buries his face into the crook of his neck. "Now I'll always be at your bedside."

"Absolutely." Lance jumps up and quickly places the game on the bedside table. This one prominently faces where he lays and seeing it gives him the biggest smile. "I have the best luck. Seriously."

Keith goes back to eating, feeding Kosmo some of the meat. "Isn't he so cute?" He asks his companion. Kosmo licks Keith's hand as his tail thumps against the ground. "Yeah he is."

Lance comes back and hugs Keith from behind before kissing his cheek. He just barely misses what Keith says. Sitting down, Lance pets Kosmo too and offers him a bit of food also. "Good food, babe?"

"Mmhm," Keith hums as he nuzzles Lance. "It tastes amazing." He gets a fork full and holds it up for Lance to eat. "I think Mom and Kolivan will really like it too."

Lance leans in and eats the bite before leaning in to kiss Keith, hoping to hide the mixed emotions in his eyes. He's happy that Keith is happy but he also doesn't want him to leave. And he wants to leave with him but he's afraid still. Not meaning to, Lance sighs. "I hope they do."

Keith just wants to bring Lance onto the ship. He doesn't want to be a part from Lance. "I'll miss you," he whispers as he rests his head against Lance's.

Lance chokes up a bit and nods. "Me too." He responds quietly and slides his hand into Keith's without looking up. "You have no idea."

Keith gives Lance a soft kiss. "I'll definitely be back as soon as I can." He pulls Lance as close as possible. "Stay strong for me."

"Well obviously I'll be strong." Lance responds playfully then flexes his arms. "No choice being a farmer boy, you know?" He chuckles then pulls Keith back in for a better kiss. "I'll be waiting."

Keith chuckles lightly and melts into the kiss. Afterwards, he finishes his pile of food and help pack up what's left. There is actually less than he expected, but that's just because he isn't used to eating with such a big family.

Lance helps Keith back up but can't help but have a sad smile as he does. He has been so happy these past few days...maybe he _should_ just go with Keith. But...at the same time, what if he gets tired of him after a couple of days? Being back here would sure make that easier to stomach.

The two of them go back to Lance's room, with Kosmo following behind them. "Best dinner ever," Keith says as he cuddles against Lance. When he sees the picture frame on the side table, he smiles softly.

"I'm glad." Lance cuddles into Keith and kisses his neck more. "I hope it can become a tradition." He kisses more while slowly climbing onto him. "I shouldn't come with you...right?" His words are quiet and full of worry but Lance seems to be hoping Keith will force him to come.

"You should come with me," Keith says softly. "You really don't belong on a farm for so long." He combs a hand into Lance's hair. "I know you want to see the real stars."

Lance looks back into Keith's eyes nervously. "But what if..." He bites his lower lip. "If you get tired of me it will be harder to leave..." He trails off.

"I won't get tired of you, I promise." Keith gives Lance a quick kiss. "I've known you for a long time now, I know what I'm getting into." His hand moves down to cup Lance's cheek.

Lance looks at Keith for a while, not sure what else to say. He closes his eyes to bask in the feeling of Keith's hand. "Alright then. I'll say goodbye and get ready while you are gone this time. I don't want to leave them all without a proper goodbye again." He hugs Keith tight. "But we will be together again soon. And then it'll be until you are tired of me."

Keith smiles softly and hugs Lance tight. "Then you'll be stuck with me forever." His heart feels like it might flutter out through his mouth. Lance is going to come with him next time. He'll really need to talk to Kolivan and his mom about what they can do for Lance.

"I dunno..." Lance smirks playfully. "Think you can deal with this for eternity?" He climbs on top of Keith and starts covering him with frantic, excited kisses. His hands dig into Keith's hair and he hums. "Because I don't plan to stop." He whispers into Keith's ear happily.

Keith laughs, enjoying the flurry of kisses. "That's good because I don't want you to stop." He rubs a hand down Lance's back. "I would be worried if you ever did."

"Then I guess we are both set." Lance kisses down Keith's neck and runs his hands down Keith's sides. "Are you leaving tonight or waiting till morning?"

"Morning," Keith answers softly. His eyes already partially closed. "I want to stay with you a little longer." He needs to also let his mom know he is coming back. His hand moves back up into Lance's hair. "I need to memorize all of you before I go."

"Good." Lance whispers then crawls down so he can kiss up Keith's abs and onto his chest. "Have as much of me as you want." He hums then makes eye contact with him. "As much as you want."

Keith let's out a low growl, his eyes becoming slightly yellow. He pulls Lance up for a deep kiss and grips onto him tightly. Not giving room for objections, he shoves his tongue pants Lance's lips and licks all over.

The growl sends electric waves to Lance's crotch. He gasps as he is pulled into the kiss. Not able to help it, Lance moans as Keith forces his tongue into his mouth. The electricity in his crotch is too much, he can't _not_ start to grind against Keith while turning to much in his arms.

Keith groans into the kiss and grinds back. One hand claws at Lance's back and when they pull away to breath, Keith starts biting and licking all over his neck.

Lance's breath becomes short and shallow in no time at all. He struggles to speak when Keith starts biting him. "Hah-ah, Keith." He forces out at last and has to swallow another moan to continue. "I want you." He whispers in a quiet moan.

Keith growls again as he flips the two of them. He goes back to leaving marks all over Lance's neck as he fiddles with taking off both of their clothes. He gets their pants off fine but the shirt he struggles with because he forgets he needs to pull away.

Lance is panting wildly and does his best to stop thrusting against Keith as he pulls his pants off. When he realizes Keith is struggling with the shirts, he pulls him into a passionate kiss. "Forget them." He whispers then looks into his eyes and shivers with want. "Take me?"

Keith keeps one hand under Lance's shirt to play with his nipple while the other goes down to position himself. He rubs his tip against Lance's entrance and he can feel it twitching against him. "Mine," he says before slowly pushing himself in.

Lance hadn't been expecting all of Keith so quickly so he lets out the tiniest of yelps as he grabs the blanket beneath them tight. But damn if the tone in which Keith growled ' _mine_ ' didn't absolutely melt him Lance isn't sure what would. He reaches up and grabs Keith's hair as he gasps for air. "I love you." He gasps the words out as he holds back a pained moan. And as much as it hurts...it still feels so much better.

Keith holds still for a second before slowly starting to move. "Love you," he growls. He starts to bite and lick Lance's neck again as he continues to move slowly.

Lance slowly starts to melt. He can't keep his arms in Keith's hair as his eyes roll back a bit. "Love you too." His voice is hardly audible as he can barely force sounds out. When Keith starts to bite, Lance starts moaning painfully. "So...fuck..." He moans loudly to finish his apparent thought.

Keith starts to move faster but bites softer. He doesn't want to actually make Lance bleed. "Lance," he moans into said man's ear. Slowly, his thrusting becomes almost humanly impossible.

Lance shivers at Keith's voice then slams a hand over his mouth when Keith starts thrusting faster. He screams into his hand and claws at Keith with his other one. His eyes are rolled up and he gasps for air. Looking at him, it's painfully obvious he is seconds from ecstasy, but in no hurry to stop.

Keith kisses to Lance's hand and tries to shove his tongue between the fingers. He moans loudly until he feels Lance tightening up. Throwing his head back, he cums inside without stopping his hips.

Lance is struggling to hold his voice back. He is trying _so hard_ to keep his voice calm. But then Keith is moaning and. "Keith!" He shouts his name and grabs his hair. "Hah-ah- so good."

Keith slows to a stop as he comes down from his high. His eyes return back to normal as he flops on top of Lance. He nuzzles into Lance's neck and hums, "You feel so good. Sorry about being a bit rough."

Lance is still gasping for air and twitch from his orgasm. Nuzzling back as beat he can, Lance lifts a shaky hand and buries it into Keith's hair. "It felt - so good - so i don't mind."

"Do you want to go shower?" Keith asks. He finally slowly pulls out of Lance. "Don't want you to have a stomach ache." Shiro gives too much detail sometimes.

"A-a stomach ache?" Lance moans when Keith pulls out and grips to him tight. He can't help but gasp a little. "I don't know if I'm ready to try standing yet." Giving a little laugh, Lance kisses Keith again.

Keith shifts to lay on his side. "We can rest for a bit. We just can't leave it in too long" He kisses Lance's cheek. "I can always carry you there if you need me to."

Lance rolls to cuddle into Keith and weakly kisses up and down his neck. "Just give me a bit and I'll walk." He speaks between kisses then runs his hand through Keith's hair. "I love you." He whispers as he places their foreheads together.

"I love you too," Keith whispers back. He combs his own hand into Lance's hair. He closes his eyes and just takes in everything. It's hard to believe they were ever fighting in robotic lions not too long ago.

Lance pulls Keith closer, wanting to kiss him more as his fingers spin around in his hair. "I never want this to change." He smiles warmly then kisses him again. "Can we shower together?"

"Of course," he whispers. Keith purrs softly and gives an eskimo kiss. "Are you ready to get up yet?" He gets onto his elbow and gazes at Lance.

"Hmmm maybe after one more kiss." Lance reaches up and kisses him deeply before humming and finally sitting up. When he does, Lance flinches a bit at the ache. With a chuckle, he kisses Keith's cheek. "Well, I certainly won't be forgetting tonight any time soon."

Keith chuckles. "I won't be either." He kisses close to a dark hickey on Lance. "Want me to gather clothes for us?"

"Would you mind?" Lance gives a small moan at Keith's kiss then grins. "I'm a little sore if you would believe it."

"You get yourself comfortable, I'll get everything else for us," Keith says. He makes sure Lance can walk properly before leaving his side to get both of them pajamas and towels.

Lance nods and does as Keith says, carefully walking himself inside the bathroom before turning on the water. "I love you." he calls playfully as the water starts up.

"I love you too," Keith calls as he comes to the bathroom. "Where should I put everything?" he asks. He isn't sure if he should just set them on the bed or somewhere in the bathroom.

"Just wherever is fine silly. So long as we get clean I don't even care if we _get_ dressed." He steps in the water and hums at how good it feels. Watching for Keith, Lance smiles at him. "Just get your sexy ass in here."

Keith blushes and quickly sets their stuff to the side. "Careful otherwise we might not actually get clean," he says as he walks in as well. "Wanna just soak for a bit? I'm not sure how it feels to have... Cum dripping out."

Lance laughs and pulls Keith in for a hug. "I mean...it's why I decided to get in quick honestly." He kisses Keith's neck with a smirk. "And you _say_ to be careful but maybe I don't wanna be." Sighing, Lance hugs Keith and kisses his neck some more. "I don't know the next time I'll see you after all."

"I don't want to make you bedridden for days." Keith gently runs a hand up Lance's neck. "I also want to be able to see you up in the morning." He really wants to have Lance walk him up to the ship.

"Hmmm I would tell _everyone_ why I was bed ridden too." He laughs then nuzzles into Keith's touch. "I will be up. I promise." Leaning in and giving Keith a gentle kiss, Lance sighs when he pulls away. "Next time right?"

Keith nods. "Next time we can do so many things." He nuzzles Lance's still somewhat dry hair. "Also next time, we can plan ahead of time to go out too." They could rent a room or just be out for a while.

"So many things. God it will be so nice. I can't wait." Lance starts kissing down Keith's neck and along his collar bone with a sigh. "I'm going to drive you as crazy as I can. Fuck I can't wait." Thinking about it gets him a bit excited so he takes a deep breath and sighs. "I just hope it's not too long."

"I will do my best," Keith says," I will comes back as soon as I can." Lance kisses a soft spot and it sends shivers down his spine. It's really starting to test his control. "Come on, let's actually get you clean," he says as he very weakly tries to push his boyfriend away.

"And I'll be waiting for you." He says quietly while trailing his fingers down Keith's abs and toward his hips. "So I can pay you back for tonight," Lance starts teasingly, "since you are determined to get clean." He finishes with a laugh but makes sure to bite once more on Keith's neck.

Keith bites his lips to muffle his groan. "I really don't want to overwork you." He shifts a bit, making sure they aren't in danger of accidentally touching hips. If they did, he knows for sure Lance will either not hold back or make his restraint break.

"What if I feel like trying to break you then?" He teases a bit, gently nibbling up Keith's neck. "I mean...or break me. Worst case, I don't move much the next couple of days." Noticing Keith wiggling away, Lance pins him against the wall. "Whaaat? We have all night still right? I'll be fine after sleeping I'm sure."

Keith groans as he is pushed against the wall. "If you wanna break me... You can always try to take the lead," he says, his head half turned away to hide his blush. "Make it even."

"That's sorta what I meant." Lance whispers into Keith's ear as the hand on his hip trails down his thigh. "But only if you want me to." He whispers again before kissing down his neck. "If you want us to stop then so be it." Smirking he adds, "I'll just dream about the night until the time I get to make it happen."

Keith's blush darkens. "I did say I would help you figure out which you prefer," he mumbles. He looks down at their feet and sees both of their hardened dicks. His heart skips a beat as he quickly looks back up at Lance. "Just so long as your hips will be okay afterwards."

Lance grabs Keith's chin so that their eyes might meet again then slides his hand down to start working Keith. "I will be fine I'm sure." He speaks quietly as he starts to pump. "The warm water feels pretty nice anyway right?" Teasing a bit as he works Keith, Lance moves in closer so he can start to toy with Keith's entrance.

Keith grabs onto Lance's shoulder to stabilize himself. His cheeks grow more pinkish as he moans. It feels different being touched at his entrance by someone else. It definitely makes his knees weaker.

"You aren't saying much but," Lance starts to insert his fingers and kisses Keith's neck, "but it _looks_ like you enjoy it." When Keith's knees begin to grow weak, Lance stops jerking him and uses his arm to lift him.

"Lance," Keith moans as he wraps his legs around said man. "Feel good." He arcs into Lance. "Y-you can put it in." Meaning the finger.

No longer hesitating, Lance thrusts the fingers in and starts working Keith while biting his neck. As he thrusts, Lance tries hitting different spots to see where Keith likes it best.

Keith moans with each thrust. Lance's fingers are longer than his own. It's a few tries before Keith moans louder and his hips thrust. "There," he moans," No."

Lance thrusts harder in the same spot. "You say no but your body is saying yes." He watches Keith carefully. "If you really don't like it I'll stop though..." As he speaks, Lance slows his hand.

Keith whines but doesn't say no again. His eyes show how much he wants it. "Lance," he moans and throws his head back. His hips quiver more and his nails dig into Lance's shoulder.

Lance goes back to thrusting his fingers and gleefully watches as Keith melts. Its insanely hot. As Keith loosens up he pulls his fingers out and kisses Keith hard while lining himself up. "You ready?" He asks airily.

Keith whines at the loss. "Ready," he moans as he grinds against Lance. His mind is in a haze and all he wants is more. "Lance," he begs.

Keith whining drives Lance crazy. He lines up and is careful as he enters. "Feel alright?" His lips are against Keith's ear as he starts to moan. God this feels so fucking good and he's barely even moving.

"Wait," Keith groans in pain. It's not a lot of pain but uncomfortable. "You're so big," he moans when he accidentally moves. How did Lance take this so well?

Lance does exactly as Keith asks, hoping to distract him as he kisses and nibbles up his neck. "Do you need me to - to work you more with my - my fingers first." He plays with one of Keith's nipples while biting his neck, doing his very best not to move inside him.

"No, just-" Keith cuts himself off with a moan. "G-give me a sec." A twist of his nipple sends strong shiver down his spine, making him arc his back more and moan loudly. It doesn't take long before Keith lossens up a bit. "O-okay, ready."

Realizing Keith enjoyed the attention on his nipples, Lance continues it as he slowly starts thrusting into him. He has to unlatch his mouth as he feels himself choking back moans. "You feel so good Keith." He gasps at last and grabs his ass with one hand as he picks up the pace.

Keith throws back his head and moans louder. The water suddenly feels weird as it hits his chest, but a good weird. Despite having just listened, he clenches around Lance as if trying to suck him in further. "Lance," he moans while a hand pulls his chest closer to his boyfriend's face again.

Lance gasps when Keith gets tighter and starts to thrust against him harder as if in response. When Lance is pulled closer to Keith's chest, he starts to lick his nipple before biting down on it a bit. He releases only to gasp and moan out, "close."

"Inside," Keith moans. He grips tightly onto Lance's hair. He moves the best he can to match each thrust. "Lance!" His prostate was hit and it almost makes him let go of Lance completely.

Lance nods and moans, thrusting into Keith the same as he had been, trying to go deeper with each motion. When Keith reacts strongly to one spot being hit, Lance grabs his ass with one hand and his back with the other and thrusts into the same spot, doing his damnedest to keep from coming until Keith has.

Keith moans even louder. He screams Lance's name like a montra until he cums. His head almost hits the wall and his legs grip tighter around Lance.

Lance swears his brain goes blank with lust and the amazing sound of Keith calling his name. He feels Keith come then finally grips him tight and comes himself. As he does, he leans down and kisses Keith passionately before carefully pulling himself out. "I love you." He chants a few times between uneasy breaths.

Keith pants for a little while before finally saying," I love you too." He rests his head on Lance's shoulder. He can already feels some of Lance's cum sliding down his leg.

"Can you stand?" Lance asks quietly as he kisses the side of Keith's head. He is beyond tired now, but won't put Keith down if he's not ready to stand. At least the two of them should sleep well.

Keith slowly lowers his feet back down to the floor. He is wobbly but not too weak. "I can stand. Think we have enough energy to last getting everything out of us?"

"I think we will be fine." Lance helps Keith stay standing and kisses his neck a few times before starting to actually clean himself. "Promise you'll come back as soon as you can?" He asks again.

"I promise," Keith says softly. He kisses Lance's cheek before starting to clean himself too. Since he just came, he groans a bit. "I'll keep you updated on how soon I'll be able to come back."

"You had better." Lance playfully threatens. "That way I can make sure to be ready to go when you come back." He watches Keith and sighs. "Then you will be stuck with me for good."

Keith smiles softly. "Yes please," he says and makes his smile a big bigger. Suddenly he groans due to a large amount of cum sliding out. It feels so weird.

Lance is smiling silly amounts when Keith responds. The groan catches him off guard then he just chuckles. "I think I got distracted while I...uh...emptied out." Lance blushes a touch as he speaks. "Maybe a good kiss might help you?"

"Please," he practically begs. There is still a little bit left and Keith can feel it slowly sliding down.

Lance slides a hand to the back of Keith's head and leans in, giving him a loving, passionate kiss. After a few seconds, he slides his other hand to the small of Keith's back to hug him. After a bit, he pulls back and presses their foreheads together. "I can't believe how much I'm already going to miss this."

Keith hums into the kiss. He melts and the last bit of cum left slides out. After the kiss is broken, he almost chases for more. "Whenever I have time off but not enough to come here, he can spent the whole time in a call together."

Lance nods and gives one more quick kiss before helping Keith get washed up. "No call will replace this though." Lance smiles softly as he gently runs the soap covered rag over Keith's skin. "But it will tide me over until I can properly say goodbye to everyone." He kisses the back of Keith's neck as he washes his back.

Keith keeps a hand on top of Lance's arm for as long as he can, just so that he is always touching Lance. "I think everyone will be happy for you." He doesn't know anyone's opinion other than Veronica's but I think the whole family is on the same page.

"I'm sure they will. It will just..." He sighs. "I will want to visit still." Lance hangs the rag up and hugs Keith close from behind. Going back to kissing his neck, Lance speaks quietly. "We're all close and it was hard for all of us being apart like that. God and the kids grew so much while I was gone." He sighs again. "But I want to be out there...and with you."

Keith smiles sadly. "You'll be able to visit often." Just sometimes alone. "I'm not trying to keep you away from your family." He rests his head on Lance's shoulder. "If you want, we can try to work something out where you only spend half of the year in space."

"No." Lance grabs Keith and turns him around. "I want to be out there with you. Seriously." He finally turns off the water and wraps the two of them in a big towel. "I just don't want to vanish from all of them for years again." He holds Keith close. "Visit for the holidays, then go back with you. It will be perfect for me."

Keith cuddles close. He doesn't know why he feels doubt, Lance clearly does want to come with him. "You'll still miss a lot of their growth," he mumbles. There are a few kids at the base but they aren't family so it won't be the same for Lance.

"And being with you will make up for it." He kisses Keith passionately and is blushing a bit when he pulls away. "And, if-if things really go well maybe we can one day-if you wanted I mean, maybe have a family of our own to watch grow up." He isn't facing Keith for fear of him not liking the idea.

Keith heart flutters up into his throat. His head spins for a second before he buries his face into Lance's neck. "I-I don't know how to deal with babies... or teenagers but... I'll gladly have a family with you." Behind Lance's back, he claws at his arm to make sure this is all real and to get his hands to stop tingling.

Lance hugs Keith closer and his smile grows. "Really? I mean, we should probably make sure we keep working out this good but, but yeah I would love that. And I'm good with babies." He laughs more, not able to hold himself back. "I love you!" He laughs.

Keith's ears feels hot. "I love you too," he says without moving his face away from Lance's neck. Thinking about children, he wonders what their adopted child will look like.

Lance kisses him a few times before leading them out of the shower. "Let's get dried off, huh?" He is still absolutely beaming as he starts to try Keith off, careful to kiss his nose after drying his hair. "Then we can fall asleep while talking about how great it will be once I can come with you."

Keith nods. He takes the towel and starts drying Lance off. "You'll look really good in a blade uniform." He has seen Lance in just a black bodysuit a few times and it always makes him lose track of reality for a second.

"I dunno..." Lance is already smirking as he dries himself off. "I think after this visit _no uniform_ will be my favorite with you." He grins more before laughing. "I'm glad you'll like it though."

Keith blushes and smacks Lance's arm. "You know what I meant." He sighs and cuddles back into Lance. "Tight clothes looks really good on you," he whispers.

"Of course i know what you meant." Lance kisses Keith again and chuckles. "Same to you. Why do you think I was always speechless after you came back in those outfits?" He starts leading them to bed.

"I don't know. I was actually debating for a while if you actually had some interest or just mad," Keith answers honestly. He glances the clothes he had brought for them. Since their both technically Lance's clothes, he doesn't reach for then first.

"I was mad you managed to get even more attractive." Lance responds with a pout. "It's fine. take them. Gives you a reminder of me." He grins then plops into bed still naked. "Come cuddle with me."

Keith grabs one of the pajama pants and puts it on. "I can at least make something smell like you," he says as he sits on the bed. He then shifts to lay on Lance's chest. "I'm going to miss this even though it's only been a few days."

"God me too." Lance grabs Keith and holds him as they talk. "I mean, I missed you even before all of this, but now...now I will miss you even more." He kisses Keith's forehead and sighs. "But, I'll be with you as soon as I can and we will be happy together as long as you want."

Keith smiles and nuzzles against Lance. "I'm sure there will be times were we argue." He is too happy to actually imagine any of those scenarios though. "But forever sounds the perfect amount of time to be happy together."

"You...really?" Lance can't believe it. His eyes open wide and he blinks hard. Grabbing Keith with a squeeze, Lance kisses him again. "You are seriously being too good to me. You're gonna kill me."

"You're going to kill me," Keith jokes while making a choked voice. It's not actually that tight of a hug but it's pretty tight. "I'm kidding," he says when Lance start to worry. "It wasn't that tight."

"That was mean." Lance kisses his neck and sighs. He tries not to pout, he really does, but it happens anyway. "Should we go to sleep? I don't want you to be too tired tomorrow."

Keith can't help but kiss the pouty lips. At the mention of sleeping, he yawns. "Yeah, we should sleep, otherwise we might not wake up until noon." He moves himself a little higher to find a more comfortable position.

"That would be fine with me." Lance responds quietly. "Just means more time with you before you go." He runs his hands through Keith's hair and finally can't help but yawn himself. "Sleep well, mullet."

"Good night sharpshooter," Keith says softly. He gives Lance one more kiss before nuzzling further into him. He closes his eyes and let's Lance's breathing lullaby him to sleep.

Lance...doesn't much sleep, even though his eyelids grow heavy. He wants to memorize everything about this moment. The way Keith breathes against him, the softness of his hair, the way his heart skips a beat every time he looks down and remembers it isn't just a dream. By the time sleep is winning, the sun is already starting to peak over the horizon. Lance holds Keith closer as he finally falls asleep, quietly hoping he doesn't leave without saying goodbye.


	5. Chapter 5: First Call

**Chapter Five: First Call**

Keith wakes up past sunrise and rubs his eyes. Probably one of the best sleeps he has had in a while. He looks up and Lance and smiles softly. Pecking Lance's cheek, he slowly sits up to admire him from a better angle. Quickly, he takes out his phone to take a picture then messages him Mom he is coming back today.

Lance stirs pretty quickly after the kiss, despite hardly sleeping. He tries to offer a smile but it comes across weak. "Morning." Sitting up as he speaks, Lance hugs Keith again and kisses his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." Keith boops his nose against Lance's. "If you wanna sleep longer, I won't leave until you wake up again." He gently pushes Lance back down. "I'm in no rush."

Lance shakes his head. "You can stay longer but I don't want to sleep more." He can't hold back the small grin at the nose boop. "I want to spend time with you. I can sleep when you are gone." He goes down without much of a fight though. However, he holds his arms out, hoping Keith with cuddle with him.

Keith smiles and gladly cuddles with Lance. "There's the smile I love," he says and kisses Lance's cheek. Sure it's not Lance's big smile bit better than the weak one.

Lance melts when Keith says he loves his smile. It still feels unreal. "Thanks for making me smile." He grins and kisses Keith, heart fluttering wildly in his chest. When he pulls away, he stares at him and runs a finger along his hairline. "You are amazing."

Keith hums. "I think you're more amazing," he says and nuzzles into Lance's chest. "But you're welcome." He runs a hand across Lance's chest. So smooth but very muscular. He mentally punched himself before he gets aroused.

Lance basically purrs at Keith's touch and smiles again. "Flatterer." He teases then kisses Keith's hair. As his hands play with the soft hair he is crazy going to miss, Lance sighs quietly. "What time do you have to leave?"

Now that he thinks about it, Kroia and Kolivan are probably eating right now. "Around lunch at the latest," Keith answers.

Lance snuggles into Keith and buries his face in his neck, kissing it a bit. "Dammit. I'm going to miss you." He wraps his arms and legs around him.

"I'm going to miss you too." Keith does his best to also wrap all his limbs around Lance. "Too bad Kosmo can't teleport me anywhere I want."

"That is too bad." He kisses him more, thankful for this more than he has words for. "It would be great to have you poof to me every once in a while." Lance then kisses the other side of Keith's neck. As tangled up as they are, they hardly take up a whole space in the bed.

Keith hums at the kisses. "We've been trying to see if having Kosmo teleport as far as he can once a day is like training, but so far the distance hasn't increased."

"Oh yeah?" Lance leans his head back a bit so he is actually facing Keith. "That's pretty cool. I mean...still amazing he can teleport at all if you ask me. Talk about awesome dog!"

Keith chuckles. "Yeah, he is the best dog." As if summoner, Kosmo appears at the bedside with his tail wagging. "Hey buddy." Keith reaches over and scratches his companion's head.

Lance rolls over to pet him too. Even this. He will miss this too. Cuddling together and playing with Kosmo. How has it only been a few days? "Hopefully he won't mind sharing you once i come with you."

"I think he'll just be happier to have more people to be with." Kosmo lay be a quiet dog but he loves company. Keith chuckles remembering back to when Allura had Kosmo in Blue. "The kids at the base are too much for him sometimes."

"I'll protect you then." Lance pets Kosmo with both hands and nuzzles the big dog. "Won't I? Yeah. You and I will be best buds." He ruffles his fur playfully then turns back to Keith and sighs before moving back on top of him and kissing down Keith's neck. Once done, he sits up and runs a hand sadly through Keith's hair.

Keith doesn't fight back as he melts into the attention. Kosmo lays his head on the bed and watches. "I think a lot of the kids will love you too." He tilts his head into Lance's hand.

When Kosmo lays his head down, Lance mindlessly pets him while admiring Keith. "Yeah? Think I'll have the energy to keep up with them?" He half jokes before leaning in for one more gentle kiss.

"Maybe for a while," Keith answers after the kiss. "They are pretty rough compared to the kids here." He lifts a hand up and combs it into Lance's hair.

"Gotta be to put up with you all day." Lance tease with his eyes closed. Adoring the feeling of the hand in his hair, Lance relaxes into it. "I...will just be happy to be back out there. getting back to myself."

Keith smiles. "I'm glad you actually want to come with me." He combs through Lance's hair down to cup his cheek. "I love you," he whispers.

"I really do. I just want to...be ready to leave this time." Lance's eyes flutter open at Keith cupping his cheeks. "I love you too." He sighs something that sounds both happy and sad simultaneously.

Keith lifts his other hand to cup Lance's other cheek. "Don't rush yourself. I'll always love you, even if you're not ready." He kisses Lance's nose and smiles wider to help comfort him.

Lance smiles and melts into the touch. "I won't. I'll be ready when you visit next." At the kiss on his nose, Lance's eyes smile and he giggles. "I'll come with out and make sure to get you in trouble by being distracting all the time."

Keith playfully rolls his eyes but smiles back. "Talking about being distracted, we should eat breakfast before we forget." Though, he makes no motion to start getting up.

"I'm not hungry." Lance lies and distracts Keith by starting to kiss up his neck again and running his hands up his side. "Maybe we can give you food for the trip home and we can just stay like this until then?"

Keith shivers slightly. "Really? Not hungry at all?" He slides a hand down Lance's chest to his stomach. "I don't mind staying like this though."

"Not hungry." Lance reassures as he hums into the touch. He runs a hand through Keith's hair before it takes its place on the back of his head. "I just want to kiss you until you have to leave so it tides me over a bit." He whispers as he presses their foreheads together.

Keith closes his eyes. "Only until I start to really get hungry," he says. He doesn't want to leave the bed either but he knows his stomach will growl sooner or later. "Then we can be all lovey dovey in front of your family."

Lance grins and nods. "Good deal. They had better get used to it after all." He kisses Keith's neck, moving down toward the collar bone. "I'm not one to let go of people very easy."

Keith gently tugs on Lance's hair. "Good," he says softly then kisses Lance's head. "You better not ever let me go." It was a mistake not having gotten a hold of Lance sooner.

Lance hums at the tug and lightly bites Keith in response. "I should be saying that to you." He chuckles then sighs. "I never want to watch you leave again, not know if I'll ever see you again." His grip on Keith tightens as he kisses along his collar bone. "Never."

Keith moans softly. Thinking back to when he left for the blade, he can remember how sad he was that no one tried to stop him. The heart ache from the initial glares. Despite it being years ago, his eyes start to water. "I won't do it again."

"Thank you." Lance responds quietly as his hands trail down Keith's sides to his hips. "I couldn't stop you back then." He _just knows_ what Keith is thinking about. "You would have never listened. Plus all I would have said was "don't go cuz I don't want you to" and that's a super shitty reason." He sighs again and goes to the other side of Keith's neck. "But I missed you. So much."

"I missed you so much too." Keith's voice is shaky. "I watched the podcast of your shows. Even though I would have hated being a part of it, I felt so alone." He hasn't told anyone about this and now it's all just spilling out.

Lance holds him tighter. "God you would have hated it so much." Lance laughs a bit, imagining Keith in the shows. He kisses Keith up to his ear and whispers. "I will always be here ok? You aren't alone anymore."

Keith sniffs as he holds back from full on crying. "Promise?" He asks. He feels so weak and vulnerable, it doesn't make him feel as useless as it used to though.

Lance pulls away and brushes hair from Keith's face so they can better make eye contact. "I promise." He reassures once they are looking at one another. "You've had enough of people leaving ok? I'm here to stay." Trying to lighten the mood a bit, he smiles. "Doomed to _me_ forever. How does that feel?"

Keith smiles widely, making his eyes squint in the process. "Feels amazing," he answers. The weight added to him while worrying is lifted and makes him feel like he could start floating. "I love you so much." Pulling Lance down, he crashes their lips together.

Lance blushes a bit, he should have known to expect an answer like that in response but it's still surprising. He wraps himself around Keith as they kiss, burying his hand in his hair while the other one wraps to the small of his back. Rather than responding verbally, Lance just eagerly kisses back.

Keith hums softly, loving everything about this. He licks Lance's lips but then takes back his tongue. The hand still on Lance's hair tugs lightly again. He wants to be dominated again.

Lance gasps lightly at the attention then groans a bit when his hair is pulled. He pulls back, not sure what Keith is wanting yet. "God you are sexy." He whispers while moving to kiss his neck again.

"Lance," Keith whines. His neck is going to be so sore and bruised. "Kiss me more." He tries to pull Lance back up. Good thing his uniform isn't the regular member uniform.

There is little to stop him, especially when Keith whines so needily. He pushes Keith over and kisses him deeply, slipping his tongue in as quickly as he can. As he does, he runs his hands along him and hums at how good it all feels. Being apart is going to suck.

Keith moans into the kiss. It feels so good and his entire body melts. He tangles their tongue together as much as physically possible.

When Lance hears the moan, it travels straight down his spine and he gasps a little into the kiss before hugging Keith closer and digging his nails into Keith's shoulders.

Keith moans more. One hand digs into Lance's back and scratches down. "I love you," he says when they pull apart to breath for a second.

"I love you too Keith." Lance gasps then moans as he is scratched. "Do it again." He quietly begs.

Keith does as Lance wishes. He scratches down Lance's back again. "Does it feel that good?" he tries to tease.

Lance catches his lower lip between his teeth and gasps a bit. "It does." He speaks quietly. Breath speeding up, he moans once when Keith scratches again.

Keith keeps going. He is about to say something when there is a knock on the door. "It's too early in the morning for this," Veronica says from outside.  
"We gave you yesterday, come out and eat with the family," Lance's mom says.

Lance blushes a bit and bows his head. "Guuuys. He's going after this. We'll be quieter ok?" He whines a bit more, he was _just_ getting worked up too.

"We want some proper time to say goodbye too," Veronica says. "You've been hogging him this entire visit." She is also just tired of knowing what they are doing in there.

Sighing in defeat, Lance groans. "Fiiiine. At least let me get dressed alright? We'll be out soon." He looks back to Keith and sighs heavily. "Rain check I guess huh?"

Keith smiles and nods. "Guess we should have expected that at some point." He sits up and combs a hand through Lance's hair. "At the base, the walls are soundproof."

"I mean...yeah." He closes his eyes, enjoying the touch before smirking and leaning into Keith more. "You are really amping up the ammo to make me want to just jump ship and come with you." He purrs playfully then kisses Keith's neck and stands up to stretch. There is a trail of hickeys now and his back has a nice array of scratches.

Keith chuckles and admires his masterpiece. "I am," he purrs. Reaching up, he gently trails a finger across the claw marks. "Anything to get you up there with me sooner." He kisses Lance's lower back before getting up himself and finding clothes to change into.

Lance sighs heavily and purrs at the touch. "Keep tempting me and I'll just up and leave tonight." He has to bite his lower lip again when keith kisses his back. "Damn tease."

Keith chuckles. "I love you," he says playfully while bending down to grab a shirt.

Lance hums. "Love you too. Let's go fill your stomach before you leave."

Keith kisses Lance's cheek before taking his hand. He then remembers about Kosmo, but looking around the room, the big guy had teleported away a while ago. "I think Kosmo is the only one wanting to still give us space," he chuckles.

"Its cuz Kosmo os a good boy." Lance responds quickly as he pulls on clothes. Taking Keith's hand, Lance locks their fingers together and exits the room with a sigh. "Well, let's have a good couple more hours."

Keith smiles slightly. "Yeah." If there wasn't another big mission, he would have tried to push it for at least tonight. But when would he ever be ready to leave Lance? Never. He rests his head on Lance's shoulder. "Sounds like everyone is awake," he mentions when they start to hear a lot of chatter.

Lance nods and cuddles closer as they walk. When they enter the room, everyone is awake and the meal is already prepped. Nadia darts up to Keith and looks sad. "You and big puppy are leaving today?" She whines.  
Lance's mom motions for everyone to start getting food, trying to get Keith to go first.

Keith pets Nadia's head and smiles sadly. "Yeah, we're leaving today." He gets ushered to the table and grabs a plate. "They really don't know how to hold back huh?" He asks Lance as he looks at all the options.

"Not really no." Lance give Nadia a side hug and smiles down at her. "But that's what makes sure you will come back right?" He laughs lightly.

"Yeah you will come back!" Nadia parrots and smiles a bit again. Sylvio, however, is grumpy at the far end of the table with food on his plate already. He doesn't want to admit he is sad so he is just an angry kid instead.

"We just are happy to see you and happy to see lance smiling." Lance's mom finally interrupts. "Even if you two could use some muzzles.

Keith blushes and quickly looks away. "Sorry," he mumbles before getting some food. He hopes they didn't hear everything, feeling both embarrassed and upset to cause the family trouble.

Kosmo appears next to Sylvio and lays head head on the boy's lap. Sylvio pets Kosmo with a big pouty lip as he eats but doesn't say much anyway. Lance watches and his heart aches. Leaving all of this will be hard.

"Yeah yeah. You will be fine. We will make sure to have ear plugs next visit for when you two are _wrestling_ alright?"

Keith's face gets ever redder and he hurries to get everything and start eating. He's definitely miss this big family atmosphere. At the base, most of them don't like being in such big groups unless necessary. "Thank you for the past few days."

Lance's mom playfully shoves him with a big smile. "We hardly did anything for you." She messes up his hair and laughs. "Thank _you_ for bringing our Lancey back." She laughs.

Lance smiles and blushes. "Was I really that bad before?" He knows he'd been quieter but was it _really_ that big of a change?

Keith shyly smiles. "I'm glad I could bring him back." He brushes his hand against Lance's and starts eating with his left.

Lance grabs his hand and smiles brilliantly. He starts to eat also as his mom grins. "I am too. Mama was tired of mopey Lance."

The family eats and chatters all the way up until Keith has to go. It was little hard to keep from getting sucked into conversation. It also took a while to get Kosmo away from Sylvio. The young boy had a tight grip and even when pried away, Kosmo would teleport back. It took maybe an hour or two to finally get to the ship.

"Bye," Keith whispers to Lance, still holding his hands.

Lance had loved, absolutely loved, watching Keith interact with everyone. Watching how close Kosmo and Sylvio got made his heart ache a little. He laughed with them all, doing his very best not to look at the clock. But, then Keith was gathering his things and it all became very real. Holding back tears, he had followed Keith and swallowed hard once they reached his ship.

"I love you Keith. You come back for me soon." Lance tightens his grip before finally giving in and hugging him once more. "I already miss you."

Keith hugs Lance tight and buries his face into the short brown hair. "I'll definitely come back. I love you." His voice slightly wavers with emotions. "Call me at sunset?" His heart aches at being reminded that video call is all they have for a while.

Lance nods into Keith's neck. "Absolutely." He chokes back his emotions and kisses the skin he's grown addicted to, all the way to Keith's cheek before looking into his eyes. "I love you too. So much? It's silly I waited so long to say so?" Laughing a bit at his own silliness, Lance sighs heavily then kisses Keith once more.

Keith melts into the kiss and almost whines when they part. "We are both silly." he presses their foreheads together before forcing himself to pull away. He takes a few steps backwards before stopping. His hands claw into his arms to keep himself from grabbing onto Lance again. "I'll come back as soon as I can," he promises again.

Lance is holding himself same as Keith and just gives a halfhearted nod. "I'll be waiting." He is seriously choking back tears now. Should he just run and follow? Maybe he should. His family will understand. And it's not like he won't come back? But, Nadia and Sylvio were already so sad... He looks back up to see Keith boarding and waves toward him. "Love you." He says, knowing it isn't loud enough for him to hear.

Keith waves back just as the hatch closes. It only takes about a minute before the ship starts to lift off the ground. It goes up high enough not to damage anything before speeding off into outer space.

Lance watches for longer than he should. He can't the ship for long but...part of him is almost praying he will come back for him. When that doesn't happen, he just takes a seat under a nearby tree with the communicator in hand and sighs.

It takes Keith a while to get home. He verbally thanked Lance's family every time he snacked on the food they gave him to bring home.

Once back on the base, he is greeted by Kolivan and Krolia, who helped him with bringing everything off the ship. Keith gives them most of the food he brought for them to try. It's fun watching be amazed.

Lance, meanwhile, just anxiously waits for sunset. He watches the sky, a few times he stops to play with Nadia and Sylvio but each time, he ends up right back where he began. It hasn't even been a whole day and he already regrets not going back with Keith. Veronica tries to cheer him up once, but it only results in Lance playfully shoving her away before relaxing back again.

As soon as the sun is _barely_ touching the horizon, he grabs the communicator, dialing as Keith had shown and instantly calls him.

Keith feels his communicator go off and quickly excuses himself to his room. Krolia is smirking as he leaves. "Hi Lance," Keith smiles softly. He slowly sets his communicator on his night desk and sits on his bed.

"Hey babe. God I miss you so bad already." He is laying in the grass staring up at the communicator. "How does the fam like all the treats?"

"I miss you too," Keith says," And they love it. Mom says she has had similar things but it's really funny watching Kolivan react to the different tastes." He chuckles remembering some of his expressions.

"Oh yeah I didn't even think about the fact that they probably haven't had all that before." Lance lightens up when Keith chuckles. "Nadia and Sylvio are better now. We played for a bit and now they are trying to talk mom into getting a dog. So we'll have to see how that goes."

Keith chuckles again. "Do you think she'll say yes?" He asks. If they do, he can't imagine how another dog would react to Kosmo. BaeBae has never been seen anywhere near Kosmo in the time everyone was on the Atlas together.

"Hmmm she may eventually." Lance chuckles and rolls over so he can put the communicator down and lay on his side. "Especially if they come home with a stray puppy one day. Those two are good at bringing home random animals."

Keith wishes he would have seen that happen while he was there. "I would offer to try finding them a space dog but... That's hard to find and I doubt your mom would like a giant dog in her house permanently."

Lance cannot help but laugh. "Oh my god that would be amazing though!" He is smiling just as much as he was when Keith was there. "It would be hard for her to say no though! If you brought one I mean."

"For your mom's sake, I won't actively go out looking but I'll keep an eyes out." Keith smiles. "Do you think all of Kosmo's kind is the exact same or different colors of fur?"

"Hm...hard to say I suppose. But I'd like to think they all look a bit different." Lance rests his head on his arm cutely and smiles. "Maybe a little piece of me just hopes you managed to find the one blue one to...remind you of me a bit." He chuckles and sighs.

Keith's smile widens. "Then should I try to get a red one for the family? Could remind them of both of us." If he did manage to get the only blue one, that would be amazing.

"I wouldn't complain. I've always kinda had a thing for red." He grins playfully then shifts a bit. "So, were they happy we're official now?"

Keith's heart skips a beat and his expression shows just how love sick he is. "Yeah," he whispers then bites his lower lip.

"God you can't make that face when we are light years apart." Lance teases a bit then swallows a sigh. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too Lance," Keith says. He closes his eyes as he emphasizes his smile. He falls silent after that, it's very different communicating through call cause there isn't the same warmth.

Lance just watches Keith smile for a moment before sighing. "I think they all know I'm going to go with you next time and I haven't even said anything yet." He smiles weakly. "Your mom...doesn't mind right?"

Keith lets out a loud sigh. "She asked for you the moment I got back. She saw all the marks and wouldn't stop glancing at them. She already has plans for how you'll move in and get comfort." The offering of food was the thing that made her finally stop bugging him.

"Oh no." He laughs a bit then shakes his head. "Wait, she's already planning to move me in? You weren't kidding. She really likes us being together huh?"

"She really does," Keith nods. "Has ever since we got stuck on that space whale. I had _plenty_ of time to tell her stories of our adventures." Remembering back to those two years, he wonders how old everyone else considers him.

"Ever since then?" Lance is thrown a bit. "So you...you told her about liking me back then?" He rolls over onto his stomach now, propping his head up on his arms. "I had no idea. But...damn...you coming back all buff and shit. It was so rude."

Keith sticks his tongue out at Lance. "We were stuck there for two years! It's not my fault I wasn't just gonna let myself rot away while waiting." He is both happy and upset that the whale had such a different time speed. He is glad that no one had to miss him for too long but also no one really seemed to miss him too much.

"It could have been two days, you would have still worked out." Lance sighs and tilts his head. "I was so happy to see you back though. I missed you while you did your work with the blades."

"Is it bad for me to say I'm happy you missed me?" Keith asks. He lays down on his side then props his head up with his hand. "I was worried no one cared that I left. I'm sorry I just brushed you off when I came back."

"I mean, no it's not bad." Lance pretends the two of them are close together, smiling brightly as Keith lays down. "I cared. I mean...obviously. But, it's ok. Things were crazy then." He accidentally yawns.

"If you're tired, you don't have to force yourself to stay awake, or at the very least go to your bed." Keith's eyebrows scrunch up in worry. He didn't mean to keep Lance from sleeping.

"But I want to talk to you. And it isn't that late. I just...didn't sleep as much as I should have last night." He wishes he could touch the spot between those brows to rub the worry away but a sigh will have to suffice. "But, I should let you get back too huh?"

"So long as you go back to sleep," Keith says. The tension in his face slowly fades. "You can always message me in the morning. I don't leave for the next mission for another 12 Earth hours so maybe we can do another call then too."

"Alright. Sounds like a deal." Lance yawns and stretches before picking up the communicator and carrying Keith to his room. "Call me to wake me before your mission. Give us at least...I dunno an hour or two to talk?"

Keith smiles softly. "I will. I love you Lance." He pretends that Lance is getting into bed with him. He already misses Lance's cuddles... and kisses. His hand reaches up to touch some of the marks on his neck.

Lance lays down, doing the same thing as Keith and nods. "Love you too. Go be awesome for me. I'm gonna dream about you."

Keith blushes but smiles wider. "I'll always be awesome for you." He holds back a yawn. Maybe he'll take a nap and dream about Lance too. "See you in the morning."

Lance nods then finally hangs up the call. He grabs all his extra pillows to bury himself in mock semblance of Keith cuddles then drifts off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Call 31

**Chapter Six: Call #31**

It's been about a whole Earth month since Lance and Keith have started calling each other everyday. They don't ever fail to miss their sunset call but there has been a few days were there is more than just that one.

Daibazaal has a slightly different time cycle for each day, so the call gets earlier and earlier in the day for Keith.

Lance hadn't quite noticed that the days were earlier as Keith never said much. Instead, he just calls at his normal time, anxious to hear from Keith. While it had only been a month, it was a long one. By now, his family knows that next time Keith visits he plans to go along. Sure, they are all quite happy, however they do want him to come back and visit whenever he can. He gets comfortable in his room and starts the call, smiling already as he knows it will only be seconds until Keith answers.

Keith reaches for his communicator on his night desk and answers the call. "Hi Lance," he smiles. His heart flutters a bit, it always does whenever their call starts.

Just like Keith's, Lance's heart skips a beat when he sees him. "Hey there hot stuff." He purrs and offers a warm smile. "How's the day treated you."

"Today has been really good." Keith glances somewhere off screen. There is some mumbling before the noise of someone moving on the bed can be heard. "Been busy but also not at the same time."

Lance tilts his head a bit, curious who else is there but shakes his head and ignores it. "Those are the best kind of days." He agrees. "Oh yeah, Daisy, the cow baby, is doing really good! Thought about it since I tended to the stalls today."

"Cows aren't flowers," Says a high pitch voice. A small Galran child climbs onto Keith's lap. They are very obviously only part Galra due to their skin mostly looking like Keith's except for the purple splotch covering the top half of their face.

"I-mean, you aren't wrong." Lance watches the child come onto the camera and smiles but can't help but wonder where this kid came from. "But my little niece Nadia named her Daisy." He waves to the kid.

The kid waves back. "Nadia gives weird names," he comments.

"She can name the cow whatever she wants Mana," Keith says. He then smiles at Lance again. "I met him shortly after yesterday's call and he's been stuck with me since."

"Good person to be stuck with." Lance sighs in relief, hopefully quietly, and doesn't seem to understand himself why. Smiling again, Lance chuckles. "I named my cow Kaltenecker. Is that weirder or better?" He chuckles.

"Kal... ten... necker," Mana tries to sound out slowly, saying one part of it wrong. "That's even weirder." He pouts, upset he didn't say it the same way.

Lance just laughs and shakes his head. "You did good. It's a tough name." He leans back and smiles softly. "So Mana, I take it you like Keith pretty good?"

Mana leans back against Keith and cuddles into him. "I like him lots," he answers.

Keith can't help but smile softly down at the child. "I was helping him learn how to count right before you called," he says.

"He's pretty easy to like huh?" Lance smiles and feels his heart daring to explode. Why is seeing Keith with some kid so painfully adorable? Like, who knew he could fall in love more? But here he is? "Oh? How high can you count Mana? You look like a smart kid."

Mana holds up one finger. "One, two." He holds up another finger. "Three, four, five." He forgets to move his thumb out, Keith has to fix it for him.

Lance grins and listens along, melting more as he watches Keith interact. "That's good!" He nods then counts along as Mana seems to get more uncertain. "Eight...nine...ten, that's right! Lucky kid has to have the best teacher on base." He winks at Keith then sighs. "Best teacher who is very missed."

Keith blushes and buries his face into Mana's black hair. Without the purple splotches, they could actually be mistaken as siblings. "Yay!" Mana cheers and claps his hands. He hugs Keith, who happily hugs back.

Lance hadn't noticed until the hug how similar they actually looked. It shakes him a bit but he decides not to let it show. Instead, he just sighs and daydreams about them being able to have a family one day. "I could watch this channel all day." He hums happily.

Keith chuckles while Mana tilts his head in confusion. "What's a channel?" He asks. He shifts to face Lance again. Keith opts to stay quiet and plays with Mana's hair.

"It's..." Lance touches his chin to think. "Well, see how you can see me? This is kinda like a television. Weird earth thing. And it has channels, like...different moving pictures that can come up and if you guys were on one of those, I would be happy to watch it all day."

Mana's eyes widen and sparkle. "I wanna see!" Keith chuckles. Next time he goes to Earth, he knows Mana will be begging to be brought along. "Can you show me through here?" Mana asks and points at the communicator.

"Absolutely!" Lance bounds over to where he can show off the tv and turns it on. "There's lots of channels." he starts flipping through them, looking back and forth between the tv and Keith with Mana.

Mana is in complete awe. "Is the show Nadia likes on?" Keith asks. Nadia and Sylvio are several years older than Mana but Nadia still likes the cute kid shows. He shifts Mana a little to keep his legs from falling asleep.

"Oh yeah!" Lance flips a bit until he finds the right show then sits back and looks over to Keith. "He's a cute kid. Reminds me a lot of you." He smiles again and sighs. "I don't have to keep you either. If you have a little one to occupy I understand this might not be the best."

"I was shocked when I first say him. He has the same hair as I did when I was young." Keith combs a hand through Mana's hair. "And I think you're entertaining him far more than I could ever." Mana is completely sucked into the show.

Lance chuckles as he looks at Mana. "I guess you might be right. At least I know a good gift to get him." He sighs and can't help but pout a bit. "I can't wait to be with you again. Do you know when you're heading back this way?"

Keith frowns and shakes his head. "Mom hasn't been able to clear my schedule enough. It might get a little more hectic for the next month because along with Mana, there was a whole pack of partial Galrans that we brought back. We're going to see if any want to join on missions and then we'll need to train them."

Lance doesn't hide the frown this time. He nods though and rests his head on his hand. "Well, hopefully it flies by for both of us. I'm ready to cuddle up to you again and sleep good at night." He winks playfully.

Keith blushed but shyly smiles. "I do too, I miss you so much." Despite having grown and changed, he still doesn't look forward to having to train new blade members. He'd much rather be on a mission, or go to Lance.

"I just can't wait. I'm going to absolutely steal you away to make up for lost time." Lance smiles deviously then shifts in his seat. "I miss literally everything about you. It's so stupid." He looks off screen for a minute then back to Keith. "I'll probably have to go soon."

Keith's blushes quickly fades as he frowns again. "So soon?" He hates their shorter calls, it doesn't feel like it's enough. All of their calls aren't enough. He wants to touch and hold Lance again.

"Mom needs a hand. Vern is gone right now, as are a few of the others. So it makes for a busier day. I feel like I should keep the communicator up though for Mana's sake." He laughs then sighs. "I love you, mullet."

"I love you too, sharpshooter." Keith sadly smiles. Well... At least Mana doesn't have to stop watching. He combs a hand through the kid's hair. "When will you be back? Maybe we can talk more after your done."

"No idea. But I'll make sure to come back as soon as I can and probably pop by on occasion to blow kisses. Hopefully not block the tv too much-" he says while purposefully flailing an arm in front of it- "see you later Mana."

Mana jumps slightly. "Bye bye," he smiles and waves.

"I'll miss you," Keith says and blows a kiss. He doesn't do it as often because he always thinks he looks weird doing it.

Lance pretends to get hit hard by the kiss and faints his way off the screen before peeking up from the bottom and sighing. "Miss you already. Don't give Keith too many problems ok Mana?"

Mana laughs while Keith silently chuckles. Keith smiles softly when Lance reappears. "Okay!" Mana exclaims. He cuddles more into Keith before getting sucked back into the show.

"Hopefully see you later," Keith says and waves.

Lance is gone far longer than he wants to be. When he comes back, he looks into the screen and his tired expression goes soft. He lays down next to the communicator and watches with a sweet smile. Mana is curled up on Keith and both of them are sound asleep. While the communicator displays them, Lance lays and watches for a bit before turning off the tv. "Sleep well you two." He hums quietly then ends the call and lays down himself.


	7. Chapter 7: Call 83

**Chapter Seven: Call #83**

Keith is sitting on his bed with Mana in his lap again. Ever since Mana met Lance, the child tries to be there for every call. He has met Nadia and the two became instant friends.

"Go ahead and hit the call button," Keith tells Mana. Tiny hands hit the green button on the screen and the two of them wait.

Lance is already waiting when the phone rings. He opens it up and waves with a brilliant smile. Over the past month, he has grown use to seeing Keith and the little lookalike. "Hey my two favorite people!"

"Hi!" Mana waves enthusiastically. "Today I get to watch people fight!"

"He's going to watch me train some of the new blades," Keith says. "Mom is going to be with him since she also wants to watch." She is just supervising really.

Lance smiles and waves back. "Watching people fight sounds exciting. Especially watching Keith. I love watching him work up a sweat." Grinning deviously, Lance nods. "Sounds exciting. Tell mom I say hi." He has started calling Krolia mom solely to watch Keith turn red.

Keith does and turns away from the screen. "I wanna tell her!" Mana yells and raises his hand. Keith moves his legs, making Mana also move up and down.

"You can tell her." Keith tickles Mana's side. "But you also need to behave for her."

Lance watches Keith tickle Mana and the little one bust out laughing and he aches to be there with them. "Yup gotta be good for Krolia or no tv tomorrow!" Lance playfully threatens with a sigh. "You two make my heart explode on the daily."

Keith loves how natural the threat was. It's almost like they are actually their own small little family. "You make my heart want to explode on the daily."

"No exploding! I'll behave!" Mana clings onto Keith tightly.

"We aren't actually going to explode, it's okay." Keith combs his hand through Mana's hair. "It's our way of saying we're super happy."

Lance chuckles and nods. "Like Keith said, my heart is just so full of love." He watches Mana cling and pouts a bit. "You know kid, I'm pretty jealous of you. Keith gives _the best_ hugs. Well, maybe second best. Hunk is still pretty much the hug master."

"Hunk?" Mana parrots. Keith has told him a bit about the others but not enough for him to remember names.

"I'll give you a lot of hugs the next time I see you," Keith says.

"You had better." Lance points and gives a serious face before laughing. "And I'll do the same for you. All night long if you want." He raises an eyebrow playfully. "Kisses too, if you really want."

"Also, Hunk is my best friend. You will have to meet him sometime. Makes the best food _ever_ and give the best hugs."

"Of course I want kisses," Keith mumbles, his cheeks growing red again. Lance just likes to hear him admit it.

"Better than the chefs here?" Mana asks, eyes wide.

"Totally better chefs than there. He is like...intergalactically famous." With a shrug and proud smile, Lance waves a hand. "When you visit, I'll buy you both a fancy dinner from his place. As much as you want ok?"

"Okay!" Mana bounces in Keith's lap. "I want lots of sweet things!"

"He hasn't had cake before. We don't make anything that sweet up here," Keith informs. Most Galrans don't like eating too much super sweet pastries.

"Then i will make sure Hunk makes all the best ones when you guys come to visit!" He sighs and rests his head on his hands. "Did you know this is my favorite time of the day?"

Keith smiles softly. "This is my favorite too," he says softly. He doesn't tell Lance his worry about when their schedule calls become really early this time around.

"Keith!" A high pitched girly voice sings. A female Galran flops onto Keith's bed. "Are you coming to the training room soon?"

Lance jumps at the sound of the extra voice. He watches a girl come into view and he can't help it, he is jealous. Look at her! On Keith's bed with him. God how Lance wished that was him. "Am I keeping you from work?" Lance swallows his envy and looks back to his love.

Keith shakes his head. "This is Giolke, she just wants to hurry up and get started." He then turns to the female Galra and tries to push her away. "We have another hour, go back to your group."

"But I want to make sure I get time with you Keith." She giggles. "You _are_ the best after all. Well the best that _I_ want to work with anyway. Isn't that right Mana?"

Lance doesn't like this at all but he keeps a pretty good face. "So I get to chat with you guys for at least a bit more. Does that mean I should turn on the tv. So long as Mana is promising to be good anyway?"

"Kolivan is far better than I am," Keith says. "And next time, please do not barge into my quarters. Knock and wait for permission."

Mana scoots as far as he can away from Giolke without leaving Keith's lap. "Tv?" He asks, instantly brightening up. He knows better than to ask for it every single time, but he loves it. "Yes please!"

Lance isn't sure he likes anything he is seeing. But at least Keith seems annoyed too right? "Right on buddy. Let's see what we can find." He flips through then finds a cool kids show about space ninjas and stops it there. Not sure if he should interrupt, Lance just smiles and waves at Mana.

Giolke pouts and puts a hand on her hip. "I mean, the door was practically open. And sure, Kolivan is good but he doesn't have the...i dunno _fire_ you do." She gives him an obviously flirty smile. "But sure. Next time I knock and wait like a good girl."

Keith sighs and rests his cheek against Mana's head. "My door was not practically open, it was just not locked." He smiles softly at Lance, not at all seeing the flirty smile from Giolke.

Mana waves back and cuddles into Keith while watching.

Lance just ignores the girl in Keith's room to watch both Keith and Mana as well as whatever was going on in the show. (In case Mana wants to talk about them.)  
"Ok well, see you in a little less than an hour. You have fun with your little one."

"Bye," Keith says. Once the girl is gone, he sighs with relief. "I don't understand why I get so much attention from the new group of Galrans." He moves his legs to shift Mana a bit.

"Because you are hot as fuck?" Lance responds without a moment of hesitation. "I mean, honestly. Have you not looked at yourself recently?"

Keith blushes and whines as he looks away. "I don't need to when you keep reminding me." Hus heart beats fast in his chest.

Lance laughs then sighs. "Well i would kiss you all over but its too far away. So instead, I just have to tell you." He cuddles into the pillows and sighs heavily. "I miss you so much i hate it."

"I'm sorry," Keith frowns. "But on the good side, I might be able to visit in a few weeks. Once all the basic training is finished here, Acxa and them are taking the new recruits on small missions so it gives me time off."

Lance lights up. "Really?!" He basically jumps in place. "I would love that. So much." His smile is basically glowing, glowing brighter than the marks on his cheeks.

Keith smiles widely. It's estimated to be four to five weeks from now but it's still soon! "Is there anything I should bring with me? I think I missed one or two birthdays in the family."

"Bring you! All of you! And be ready for me to absolutely cover you in kisses and steal you away for at least a day. And I'm going to get you and I a hotel. And as for birthdays, we are way more about celebration than gifts at the McClain house. So be ready for a party." He is grinning wildly at this point and dancing around.

Keith can't stop smiling. "I'll be ready to be stuffed to the brim again."

"Can I come too?" Mana asks, realizing what they are talking about. "I wanna see Nadia and the tv!"

Keith combs his hand through Mana's hair. "We'll need to get permission first. I can't just take you out whenever I want."

"Oh I'll gladly stuff you." Lance chuckles then his smile grows when Mana speaks. "Nadia has been wanting to meet you too! So I know our side would be more than happy to have a visitor." He looks back to Keith and smiles again. "But one day is just us."

Keith smiles and nods. Hopefully the family wouldn't mind taking care of another kid. "Your family really is very Galra loving."

"My family loves to see everyone happy." Lance shrugs as though that is pretty normal. "And hey, another kid to keep the kids occupied? Guarantee they will be pleased." He laughs and leans in. "Especially since that means no repeat of last visit for them."

Keith laughs. "Hopefully we didn't traumatize anyone, though I was probably louder than you." His cheeks turn slightly red. "They really weren't upset though, right?"

"I got teased plenty for it." Lance rubs the back of his head and smiles a bit while blushing. "But they meant well. They are happy. Vern keeps asking when the wedding is." He laughs loudly and shakes his head. "I've already told her if it all keep up I'll let her know sooner rather than later." Despite his confident words, Lance blushes more with each word.

Keith feels his heart do flips. Lance wants to get married. "Honestly, I hope it happens soon too," he says softly. He fiddles with Mana's shirt to keep himself from exploding with happiness.

Lance looks up and his eyes are watering with joy. "You really mean that?" He smiles brilliantly at Keith. "If so, I...I might die from excitement."

Keith bites his lip and nods. "I'm also dying from excitement." His heart is ready to fly out of his chest. He loves Lance so much. "We should have it in space."

"Get the whole family out there? Oh man sounds like a riot." Lance laughs. "And Hunk's place will cater, of course, but he will be busy being the best man."

"Who should be the ring bearer and flower girl? Mana and Nadia?" Keith can see that being very cute. They would probably want to walk together instead of separate.

"Probably. Sylvio is ' _too cool_ ' for that anyway." He smiles playfully. "Two rows of best mean or what? How does that work for us?" Lance honestly isn't sure if there is wedding party etiquette. He wasn't convinced he'd ever end up married.

Keith chuckles. "I think we can just have whoever we want. Definitely Hunk with Shay and Veronica with Acxa so... best... best friends?" He shrugs.

"Deal. 100%." Lance it literally glowing with how excited he is. "Red and blue for colors? With a bunch of black...obviously." He doesn't realize that means he's _actually planning it_.

"I like that idea," Keith agrees. "Lions and space themed everything?" It would be amazing to see everyone in their paladin colors again. "Both of us in suites?"

"God yea." Lance gets dreamy for a second. "You look so damn good in a suit." He sighs heavily and licks his lip before catching it between his teeth. "So this is happening in like...tomorrow right?"

Keith chuckles. "I wish. Definitely soon though." He shifts Mana again. "What do you want more, watch tv or watch me fight?" He asks the small child.

"I wanna watch you fight!" Mana answers. "But can I still bring the com?"

"Soon." Lance says dreamily. When he realizes how much time as passed though, he gets a bit sad. "Probably shouldn't watch tv there. Might be distracting. But I'll be here with the tv next time!"

"Promise?" Mana asks and claps excitedly when Lance says yes.

"I'll text you when I'm done and maybe Mom will send you some pictures of me teaching." Keith picks up the communicator and brings it closer. "Love you."

"Promise." Lance smiles brilliantly then sighs. "Love you too baby."

Keith and Mana wave Lance goodbye before turning off the communicator. He picks up Mana and carries the young boy to the training room he was assigned. Krolia is already there with most of the new recruits. She takes Mana and goes to sit in the corner. Keith walks to stand in front of the group and introduces himself for anyone who doesn't know already. He goes over the proper stances and how to hold a knife. He also demonstrates a few simple self defense moves, with the help of Giolke who volunteered to help. The training session ends without too much trouble, maybe one or two accidental scratches.


	8. Chapter 8: Down Hill

**Chapter Eight: When Things Start To Go Down Hill**

Lance knew Keith was going to be busy for a while, sure. The first two days, Keith messaged that he wouldn't be able to be free for their usual sunset call, but after a couple of missed calls, he...started to worry - to say the least. He didn't want to call too often for fear that he would be annoying. however, by the end of the third day of missed calls...Lance is anxious beyond belief. Pacing back and forth, he worries so much he can hardly keep his work straight. If Keith doesn't answer tonight...god what could have happened?

Keith flops onto his bed. He feels bad for having missed the past few days but it's just really bad timing. Sunset on Earth is now early morning for him. The last call he had with Lance was practically an hour after he woke up. He reaches for his communicator and starts to send an apology text but falls asleep halfway through typing.

When he picks up the comm, Lance debates whether he should call or not. If he doesn't get him, he's just going to worry more. But...he has to call. He misses Keith and honestly wants to make sure he is fine. Nervously, he picks up the comm and starts the call. It rings a few times.

Keith's com goes off, but he doesn't wake up. It rings a few more times before his door opens.

"Hello," Giolke answers the call. She is facing Keith's bed so he is out of sight from Lance's view.

If ever his heart has dropped, it was nothing compared to that moment. He swallows the instant reaction to ask why she has his comm. After untying his tied up tongue, Lance takes a deep breath. "H-hello. Is...is Keith there?"

"He's asleep right now. Why are you calling so late? It's almost the first hour of the day," She says. "You should leave him alone. Who are you anyways?"

Lance's throat tightens. _Who are you?!_ Is what he wants to say. But, he cant will himself to. "It has been a...a ritual of sorts. He didn't tell me it was so late his time." Lance is doing his best to stay calm. "I-" he isn't thinking straight. A million red flags are going off in his head. This girl has no idea who he is. She is in Keith's room. Late at night. And Keith is asleep. Maybe...maybe that's why..."Does he...not want me to call?" He asks quietly, now wondering if Keith has just been too nice to say so himself. Maybe talks of weddings that soon was too much. Made him out to be too needy. Maybe he fucked this up too.

Keith stirs a little, making Giolke take a step back. He doesn't wake up though, just turns over in his sleep. "He barely gets enough sleep the past few days because everyone is getting a one on one sparring session with him. Maybe it's time to break your ritual." She doesn't give Lance time to respond before turning the communicator off and rushing out of the room. Can't risk getting caught by Keith again.

Lance has no idea this girl isn't supposed to be there. Only that she knows a lot of Keith's schedule, is in his room and...seems offended by him calling. Maybe Keith...maybe he really was scared off by all the wedding and forever talk. Putting the com on his side table, Lance just curls up and sighs. Doing his best to stay calm, he doesn't even realize that his eyes are watering.

Veronica walks outside and is surprised to see Lance not in a call with Keith. "He still isn't able to make it to the call?" She asks as she takes a seat next to her brother. Lifting up an arms, she wraps it around Lance's shoulders and pulls him close.

Lance takes deep breaths, trying to keep from crying _especially_ with veronica around. "I...I think I might have scared him away Vern." He decides against mentioning the girl in Keith's room. He will save both of them Veronica's wrath.

"How would you have scared him away? He didn't rush away the last time he was able to talk, right?" She shifts so she can fully hug Lance. "I heard from Acxa how busy it's been for Keith lately, I'm sure it's just that."

Lance clenches his jaw. _Don't mention her. Don't mention-_ "Last time we talked, I brought up you all teasing me about when we're getting married. And told him I...actually like the idea? I mean, he seemed pretty ok with it but...now he isn't answering calls. Its been days. And now-" _**don't mention it Lance.**_ "well now I'm just afraid I fucked up. Like I always do."

"Oh Lance..." She combs a hand through his hair. "I'm sure you didn't. You don't fuck up everything. Do you want me to have Acxa ask him? Have you tried leaving messages for him?"

"Don't ask Acxa." Lance shakes his head. "It's no one's issue but my own." He bows his head and lets Veronica run a hand through his hair in silence for a second. "I ...was going to today." Swallowing to keep from telling about the Galra girl, Lance sighs. "Bit maybe I should just wait for him to call." In a hardly audible mumble he adds, " _if_ he calls."

"I'm sure he'll call the moment he can," Veronica reassures. "Let's go inside, okay? You need to catch up on some sleep." She slowly stands up and holds out a hand for Lance to take.

Lance just shrugs. "Hope so." He takes a deep breath to choke back his stupid tears then grabs Veronica's hand. "I just...really didn't want to fuck this up. I thought I was doing good."

Veronica pulls him up onto his feet and hugs him again. "Everything will be okay, I promise." If Keith is indeed just running away from Lance, he has a long lecture waiting for him. She takes Lance to his room and bids him good night.

Lance forces a smile and nods. "I sure hope so." He waits for Veronica to walk away before collapsing onto his bed and replaying the image of that girl telling him to break his ritual over and over until he finally falls asleep.


End file.
